# How to Find Lag With the spark Profiler

> Install spark and run a profile to see exactly which plugin, mod or chunk is slowing your server down.

Source: https://www.beaconhosting.org/knowledgebase/how-to-install-spark-and-run-a-spark-profiler-on-a-minecraft-server
Category: Minecraft
Last updated: 2026-10-22

**spark** shows what your server spends its time on, so you can find the plugin, mod or area causing lag. It works on Paper, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge. (On Paper, spark replaced the old timings reports.)

## Install it

Paper already includes spark from 1.21 onwards. Otherwise:

1. Open **Package Manager**, click **Browse packages**, search for **spark**, and click **Install**.
2. Package changes are queued and applied the next time the server starts, so restart it from **Console** when you're done.

## Check the server's health

In **Console**, run:

```
spark health
```

It shows **TPS** (ticks per second; 20 is perfect) and **MSPT** (milliseconds per tick; under 50 means no lag), plus CPU and memory.

## Run a profile

1. Start the profiler while the lag is happening:

```
spark profiler start
```

2. Let it run for a few minutes while players play normally.
3. Stop it:

```
spark profiler stop
```

spark prints a link. Open it to see a breakdown.

## Reading the result

Expand the **Server thread** tree. The biggest percentages point at the cause: a plugin name, a mod's package name, or something like entity ticking. Common culprits are huge mob farms, hoppers, chunk loaders and badly written plugins.

> [!TIP]
> Send the link when you [open a ticket](/billing/tickets) about lag. It's the fastest way for us to help.