Help CenterThis is a quick guide on how to add Spark to your modded 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 will be covering the modded version of Spark for Fabric and Forge Minecraft servers!
Installing Spark
Step 1: Getting Spark
To get Spark, follow the link here. It will take you to Spark's CurseForge page.
From there, go to Files. This will list off all of the current versions of Spark that are available for both Fabric and Forge! If you are doing this from the CurseForge app, the tab you'll be looking for will be "Versions"!
From here, we will select which version we need. For this tutorial, I'll be installing 1.10.58 for Forge 1.20.4 by clicking the three dots on the right side, and clicking "Download File". The process is the same for any of the versions.
🛑 Be absolutely sure you are installing the right version for your server, otherwise, the mod will not work!
ℹ️ You do not need to use CurseForge's automatic installer for Spark, as it is not needed clientside in order to work properly! A manual download will do just fine!
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 mods folder. This is where we will drop the Spark mod!
ℹ️ Don't see a mods folder? You may not have switched your version to Forge or Fabric! Please check our guides on how to install Forge and how to install Fabric!
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