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On Paper 1.21 and newer, use the bundled spark profiler rather than Timings: run /spark profiler start during normal gameplay, leave it running for at least 10 minutes, then run /spark profiler stop and open the generated link. Timings remains useful for Spigot and older Paper servers, where an operator can run /timings on, wait about 10–15 minutes, and use /timings paste.
The report helps separate plugin work from hardware pressure. A healthy server targets 20 TPS, and each tick should normally complete in under 50 ms (MSPT). Lower TPS or higher MSPT means the server is falling behind; high system CPU can indicate that the machine itself is the bottleneck.
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Choose the right profiler for your server
“Timings report” usually refers to the diagnostic report produced by Spigot or Paper. The correct command depends on the server software and Minecraft version, so check the startup console or your host panel before running anything.
| Server software | Recommended method | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1.21 or newer | spark profiler | Paper bundles spark, recommends it for profiling, and leaves Timings deprecated and disabled by default. |
| Older Paper | spark if available; otherwise legacy Timings | Command behavior and defaults vary by Paper and Minecraft version. Check the documentation for the exact build. |
| Spigot | Legacy Timings | An operator can start a Timings capture, wait for representative load, and paste the report. |
| Another loader or a managed host | Follow the loader or host’s documented workflow | Some hosts provide their own support process for collecting and sending profiler links. |
Paper’s current documentation states: “Starting with 1.21, Paper bundles the spark profiler, which is the preferred way to profile Paper.” See Paper’s profiling documentation for version-specific syntax and updates.
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Prepare a useful capture
A profiler only explains the work that occurs while it is running. Starting it while the server is empty, immediately after a restart, or during an unusual lull can hide the task that causes the lag.
Identify the software and build
Record whether the server is Paper, Spigot, or another implementation, plus the Minecraft version and the exact server build if your host displays it. Commands can be added, removed, or changed between releases. If a command shown here is rejected, use the profiling page for that build rather than repeatedly trying old syntax.
Get administrative access
Profiling commands are administrative operations. Use the server console or an account with the required operator permission. If a hosted control panel has a console, running the command there avoids chat permission issues and preserves the output.
Reproduce the real problem
Start the capture while the server is under its normal player load. Ask players to perform the activity that produces the slowdown: exploring new terrain, using farms, entering a particular dimension, running a minigame, or triggering a known command. Note the approximate start time and what players were doing so you can match the report to the incident.
Leave enough time to sample the problem
For ordinary, sustained lag, collect at least 10 minutes of data with spark. Legacy Timings captures are normally left on for about 10–15 minutes. A short burst can be useful for an immediately reproducible fault, but it may not contain an intermittent event and is harder to compare with normal operation.
Take a spark report on Paper 1.21+
Paper 1.21 and newer bundles spark and treat it as the preferred profiler. Timings is deprecated and off by default on these versions, so begin with spark unless you have a specific compatibility reason not to.
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- Start the profiler. In the console or in game with permission, run
/spark profiler start. - Keep the server under representative load. Let players continue the activities that cause the slowdown. Do not restart the server during the capture.
- Run for at least 10 minutes. A longer capture is useful when the problem occurs only occasionally, provided the server remains in the same operating conditions.
- Stop the profiler. Run
/spark profiler stop. - Open the generated link. The command prints a report URL in the console or chat. Open it, save it with the date and server version, and share that link when requesting help.
If you know exactly how long a capture should run, let spark stop automatically with the --timeout option. The value is in seconds:
/spark profiler start --timeout 600This example requests a 600-second (10-minute) capture. You still need to reproduce the workload during that interval.
Focus on slow ticks during intermittent lag
When most ticks are normal and only occasional ticks stall, a threshold can reduce noise. Paper’s examples include:
/spark profiler start --only-ticks-over 100 --timeout 300This asks spark to focus on ticks taking more than 100 ms and to stop after 300 seconds (five minutes). A lower threshold such as 60 ms catches more borderline slow ticks:
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/spark profiler start --only-ticks-over 60 --timeout 300Use a threshold that matches the symptom. A 100 ms threshold is useful for severe spikes; a 60 ms threshold can reveal smaller stalls that still produce visible hitching. If you are unsure which threshold to choose, first run a normal capture without a filter so you have a baseline.
Keep an evidence note with the link
Alongside the spark URL, write down the server version, approximate player count, the activity that caused the lag, and the capture start and stop times. This context lets another administrator distinguish a farm-related spike from a general capacity problem without asking you to repeat the test.
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Take a legacy Timings report on Spigot or older Paper
Use this workflow when the server is Spigot or an older Paper build where Timings is still available. On current Paper, Timings may be disabled because it is deprecated; in that case, use spark instead.
- Wait until the problem is occurring. Starting Timings during a quiet period can produce a report that does not contain the offending workload.
- Enable capture. Run
/timings onfrom the console or as an operator. - Maintain normal activity for roughly 10–15 minutes. Keep players online and reproduce the behavior that causes the lag.
- Paste the report. Run
/timings paste. The server returns a web link to the captured data. - Preserve the context. Save the URL with the server version, player count, and a description of what was happening when the lag appeared.
In a legacy Timings report, red entries indicate work using excessive resources relative to the rest of the capture. The Plugins tab ranks plugins by their contribution to lag, which is the quickest place to look when you suspect a plugin. A high-ranked plugin is a lead for investigation, not automatic proof that the plugin is defective: the plugin may be responding to unusually heavy player activity or to another system generating events.
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Do not leave an old capture running indefinitely
Once you have a representative 10–15-minute sample, paste it and turn the capture off if your server build provides the corresponding stop command. Extremely long captures can mix several unrelated incidents and make the report harder to interpret. Exact enable, disable, and reset behavior differs by build, so use the command help and the documentation for that version.
Read the performance numbers first
Before blaming a plugin, establish whether the server is actually missing its tick deadline.
| Metric | Healthy target | Meaning when it worsens |
|---|---|---|
| TPS (ticks per second) | 20.0 | Lower values mean the server is falling behind and game updates are being processed late. |
| MSPT (milliseconds per tick) | Under 50 ms | Above 50 ms means a tick exceeds the time available to sustain 20 TPS. |
| System CPU | Depends on the host and workload | High usage can indicate a hardware or allocation limit rather than one misbehaving plugin. |
TPS and MSPT describe related parts of the same problem. A tick taking 50 ms can sustain 20 ticks per second; ticks taking longer than that accumulate delay. A server can show acceptable average TPS while still producing noticeable spikes, which is why a slow-tick spark capture is useful for intermittent symptoms.
Paper’s documentation notes that /mspt and /tps are superseded by spark. On a current Paper server, use spark for profiling instead of treating those commands as a complete diagnostic workflow.
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Find the source of plugin-related lag
Start with the report’s ranked work
For Timings, open the Plugins tab and inspect the highest lag contributors and red entries. Record the plugin name, the operation shown, and whether the entry occurs during the same activity players reported. This prevents a common mistake: removing the first plugin in a list without checking whether it was simply handling a surge of legitimate events.
Compare the report with the symptom
- If the lag starts when players enter new areas, compare the capture with exploration and terrain-generation activity.
- If it starts around a farm or redstone machine, reproduce that exact machine state rather than testing an empty world.
- If it appears only during commands or scheduled jobs, capture the period when those jobs actually run.
- If the problem is a brief freeze, use spark’s
--only-ticks-overfilter so the report emphasizes the slow ticks instead of averaging them into normal time.
Check the machine before changing plugins
Look at the host’s CPU information for the same period. High system CPU can point to a hardware limit, an undersized virtual machine, or another process competing for resources. In that situation, changing a plugin may not restore performance. Treat the profiler as evidence about where time is spent, then decide whether the remedy is configuration, workload reduction, plugin maintenance, or more CPU capacity.
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“Unknown command” or no Timings output
On Paper 1.21+, this is expected when you try to use a deprecated Timings workflow. Switch to /spark profiler start and /spark profiler stop. On another version, confirm the exact server implementation and build before assuming the command is missing.
“You do not have permission”
Run the command from the server console or grant the appropriate operator access temporarily. Do not ask ordinary players to execute profiling commands, and remove temporary elevated access after the capture if your operating policy requires it.
The report shows normal performance
Check whether the capture overlapped the incident. If not, repeat it while players perform the triggering activity. For sporadic freezes, use a slow-tick threshold and an automatic timeout, then wait for the event during that window.
The capture is too short
Repeat the test for at least 10 minutes with spark or about 10–15 minutes with legacy Timings. Include enough of the normal workload to distinguish a one-time startup event from a recurring task.
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CPU is high but no single plugin dominates
Interpret this as a possible capacity problem rather than forcing a plugin diagnosis. Compare the CPU reading with the report’s busiest work and the host’s allocated resources. If the machine is saturated, reducing load or moving to a larger allocation may be necessary before plugin-level tuning can help.
A host asks for a different format
Managed hosts sometimes require a particular command, panel button, or support ticket format. Follow that host’s current instructions, then provide the generated link and the same context: version, player count, reproduction steps, and capture duration. Their support staff may need the original report rather than screenshots.
Which workflow should you use?
| Situation | Action | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Paper 1.21+ and general lag | /spark profiler start, capture for at least 10 minutes, then stop |
Spark is bundled and preferred on these releases. |
| Paper 1.21+ and brief, severe freezes | /spark profiler start --only-ticks-over 100 --timeout 300 |
Emphasizes very slow ticks during a defined five-minute window. |
| Paper 1.21+ and moderate hitching | /spark profiler start --only-ticks-over 60 --timeout 300 |
Catches slower-than-normal ticks without requiring a full capture. |
| Spigot or older Paper with Timings available | /timings on, wait about 10–15 minutes, then /timings paste |
Uses the legacy report and its Plugins ranking. |
| Unclear version or host-managed setup | Confirm the build and follow its current documentation or support workflow | Command behavior and defaults change between versions. |
What to send with a report
A URL without context forces the person diagnosing the server to guess what the capture represents. Include:
- Server software and exact Minecraft/server version.
- Whether the report came from spark or legacy Timings.
- Capture duration and, for spark, any timeout or slow-tick threshold used.
- Approximate player count and the activity that reproduced the lag.
- When the slowdown occurred relative to the capture.
- Whether the host showed unusually high CPU at the same time.
- The untouched report link produced by the console or paste command.
Avoid replacing the link with a cropped screenshot. The full report contains the ranked entries and timing context needed to distinguish a plugin contribution from overall system pressure.
Version caveats
Exact command behavior, defaults, permissions, and report presentation can change with Paper and Minecraft releases. The commands above reflect the workflows documented for current Paper and the established legacy Timings process, but your build’s help output and current Paper documentation take precedence when they differ. Re-run a short verification after an upgrade rather than assuming an old report method still applies.
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