Help CenterThis is a quick guide on how to add the Spark plugin to your Minecraft server, an extremely useful diagnostic tool for figuring out potential issues!
What is Spark?
Spark is a server-side profiling mod that can be used for diagnostic purposes pertaining to server lag and crashes. It comes with a variety of features, including live monitoring of CPU and RAM usage. It is especially helpful in figuring out why a server may be experiencing trouble and is typically recommended for bigger modpacks to help troubleshoot potential problems.
Spark comes in two versions: As a plugin for use on PurPur and Paper servers and as a mod for use on Fabric and Forge servers! For this tutorial, we shall cover the Plugin version using Paper!
Installing Spark
Step 1: Getting Spark
🛑 Trying to install Spark to a PurPur server? No need! PurPur installations come with Spark pre-installed! As such, manual installations for Spark is only required for Paper or other Spigot-based servers!
To get Spark, follow the link here. It will take you to Spark's Spigot page.
From there, simply click the "Download Now" button! Ensure that the version of Minecraft you are using matches the tested versions below, or the plugin may not work!
Step 2: Installing Spark to the Server
Firstly, stop the server by pressing the stop button on the game panel. If any players are online, warn them to finish up whatever they are doing before shutting it down!
Next, navigate to your File Manager, then open your plugins folder. This is where we will drop the Spark plugin!
ℹ️ Don't see a plugins folder? You may not have switched your version to Paper or PurPur! Please check our guides on how to install Paper and how to install PurPur!
Once you are in your mods folder, simply drag and drop your Spark file into the File Manager. It will automatically upload the file into that folder!
Lastly, we'll now start the server back up. Simply navigate back to your Console and press the Start button!
Using Spark
Spark has a lot of functionality and commands to use, far too many for us to cover in a single tutorial. Thankfully, Spark has plenty of documentation that can be found on their website here!
Most Common/Useful Commands:
/spark health Displays server health/stats (including current memory/RAM usage).
/spark health --memory Displays RAM/memory usage