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Spark - What is it? How to use it? Why is it worth it?

General Information​

Spark is an advanced diagnostic plugin for Minecraft servers, designed for performance analysis, detecting lag issues, high CPU or RAM usage. With Spark, you can quickly identify what is slowing down your server – whether it’s plugins, mods, too many entities, or other technical factors. Spark works on the most popular server engines: Spigot, Paper, Forge, Fabric, and proxy servers. In many cases, you don’t even need to install it, since a lot of server engines already have Spark built-in.

To achieve maximum performance, we recommend choosing the Purpur or Leaf (experimental) core, check the guide How to change core versions?!

Why should you use Spark?​

  • If your server starts lagging and you don’t know why, Spark will quickly show you exactly what is slowing down the game – it could be a plugin, too many things happening at once, or Java’s memory management issues.
  • After generating a report, you get a clear output that you can easily share with someone for help – just send the link, and everything is visible in the browser.
  • Spark is a lightweight and optimized plugin that runs on the server with virtually no performance impact.
  • Spark works almost everywhere – on plugins (Spigot, Paper, Velocity) and mods (Forge, Fabric).
  • Besides CPU usage analysis, Spark also allows memory analysis (heap dump), monitoring GC activity, and generating server health reports (/spark healthreport).

How to install Spark on the server?​

First, check if it’s already installed – in the Console tab, type the command /spark. If information about the currently installed Spark version appears, you can skip the steps below.

If your server uses plugins or mods:

  1. Stop the server in the Console tab.
  2. Download the Spark plugin/mod.
  3. Go to the Files tab, then open the plugins folder (for Paper/Spigot) or mods folder (for Forge/Fabric).
  4. Click the Upload to server button (top right corner).
  5. Find and select the previously downloaded Spark file. Wait until the upload completes.
  6. Go back to the Console tab and click START to launch the server.

IMPORTANT! If you’re using PaperSpigot, Spark comes pre-installed starting from version 1.21.

How to use the Spark plugin?​

If you already have Spark on your server, here’s a list of basic commands:

CommandDescription
/spark profiler startStarts recording performance
/spark profiler stopStops recording performance
/spark profiler openGenerates a link to the server diagnostics page
/spark tpsDetailed view of TPS, MSPT, and CPU usage
/spark ping (--player [player_name])Detailed view of average server ping; adding --player with a player’s name shows their ping
/spark healthreportDisplays a “server health” report (RAM, CPU, disk usage)

👉 Full list of commands can be found here: https://spark.lucko.me/docs/Command-Usage

Step by step: How to share a performance profile with someone?​

  1. Join the server and grant yourself operator permissions: 
    /op [player_name]
  2. Enter the command: 
    /spark profiler open --threads *
  3. A link will appear in the chat – click it or copy and open it in your browser.
  4. On the page, you’ll see detailed information about the server’s performance.
    You can use the same command in the console – you’ll also get a link. In the console, don’t use the leading /