How to allocate more RAM to a Minecraft server on Hostd
On Hostd, RAM is hard-locked at the plan level. The way to give the server more RAM is to upgrade the plan from the dashboard; -Xmx does not apply.
On Hostd, you do not allocate RAM to your Minecraft server. The plan you bought has a fixed amount of RAM and the JVM gets all of it, hard-locked at the kernel level. There is no flag to tune and no advantage to leaving headroom; we have already done that calculation for you. The way to "give the server more RAM" is to move to a bigger plan.
How to upgrade
Open Dashboard → your server → Settings → Plan and pick a higher tier. The upgrade is in-place: your world, your mods, your config, your address all stay. The container restarts on the new plan size and the JVM picks up the new heap automatically. Pro-rated billing covers the day-of difference.
What the Java tier ladder looks like
- Vanilla (3 GB). Unmodded survival with a few friends, no plugins beyond essentials. Bedrock equivalents are on their own ladder.
- Modded (6 GB). Light Modrinth and Forge packs; Create on its own, Cobblemon, smaller adventure packs.
- Heavy (10 GB). The floor for ATM, FTB Skies, RLCraft, Better MC, Vault Hunters, and anything kitchen-sink. Below this and you will see TPS collapse on chunk loads.
- Extreme (14 GB). Heavy packs with 10+ active players, or the rare pack that genuinely needs more (Gregtech: New Horizons, big modded networks).
Picking a tier for your first server has the per-game breakdown.
Why -Xmx is not the answer
If you have self-hosted before, you may have grown used to bumping -Xmx in user_jvm_args.txt when a pack needs more memory. On a kernel-locked plan that does the opposite of what you want: the JVM tries to reserve more than the plan has, fails, and the server refuses to boot with Could not reserve enough space for object heap. The Files page blocks edits to those launcher files for that reason. The plan size is the real lever.
Where to go next
- java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: Java heap space if you are crashing under the current allocation.
- Fixing Minecraft server lag if the symptom is TPS rather than OOM.
Last updated 2026-05-23. Notice a mistake? Tell us.