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Minecraft Chunky Plugin Guide

Last modified on Jan 3, 2023 in plugins

mc head By Nathan Young

Overview

Minecraft servers can occasionally encounter lag due to various reasons, possibly disrupting gameplay for your players. Solving this can involve tons of optimization, with some being overly complicated and difficult to implement. However, an easy way to fix lag or world issues is using Chunky, a Bukkit plugin for Paper and other similar servers. This allows owners and authorized users to pre-generate chunks (regions) of the map to reduce loading time, which increases overall TPS after generation. If your server is experiencing high amounts of problems, then this plugin will likely help the situation. Keeping this in mind, let’s learn more about the Chunky plugin for your Minecraft server in this Apex Hosting guide.
 

Summary

Chunky was originally released on Spigot in 2020 by pop4959, quickly becoming an essential tool for 1.14+ server optimization, getting over 150,000 downloads. Using this should only be accessed by owners, admins, or authorized players due to the plugin’s functionality, pre-generating your world to solve and reduce lag. Besides that, there is an addon called ChunkyBorder, introducing more tools for server optimization. However, we’ll only be focusing on Chunky since this gives you the most control and possible solutions to lag. The plugin’s installation process is simplified through our easy-to-use panel, which we’ll explore in the section below.
 

Installation

  1. Navigate to Chunky on Spigot and press Download Now.
    Chunky Spigot Download
  2. Save this file to an easily accessible location on your computer.
  3. Head towards your Apex server panel and click FTP File Access in the top left.
    Minecraft FTP File Access

    Note: Make sure you’re using the correct server profile for this installation.

  4. Login with your password and enter in the plugins folder.
  5. Near the top left corner, press Upload and drag the file into the respective area.
    Chunky Plugin Installation
  6. Wait for this to reach 100%, then return to the main panel and Restart the server.
  7. Join and execute the /plugins command to confirm if Chunky was installed.
    Minecraft Plugins Command

    The plugin should appear as green in the list, meaning it’s enabled.

 

How to Use Chunky

Using Chunky on your server is only done through commands, as these control how the world is pre-generated. There isn’t much in-game to do, such as abilities, due to the plugin’s functionality. However, there are many commands to try out and possibly combine to achieve your desired result. Additionally, there are some plugin settings to tweak for more control if you want. Once you get the hang of it, you may create uniquely shaped pre-generated areas in your world to suit your needs. For example, if you only wanted to have a radius instead of the entire map, then using a particular set of commands is needed. With this in mind, check out the sections below to get started using Chunky on your Minecraft server.
 

Commands

As noted before, commands are required to run pre-generation tasks. These can be used in-chat or in your server panel Console, which is preferred rather than in the game. This is due to more information being available compared to in-game. However, if you try them while in your world, make sure you’re a server operator or have a management plugin, such as LuckPerms. This allows you to access the commands by giving your account or rank permission nodes. Otherwise, continue to enter them in the console without worrying about prior configuration. Besides this, review the list down below to begin understanding the plugin’s features.
 

CommandPermissionDescription
/chunky startchunky.command.startInitiates the existing world’s generation, with defined shape, center, and radius.
/chunky pausechunky.command.pausePauses all running tasks and saves their progress.
/chunky continuechunky.command.continueContinue to run your tasks from where they left off.
/chunky cancelchunky.command.cancelStop and delete tasks, which cannot be resumed.
/chunky world [world name]chunky.command.worldSets a specific world as the task’s target.
/chunky shape [shape]chunky.command.shapeDefines the shape to generate for the world.
/chunky center [(x) (z)]chunky.command.centerCreate a center location for the generation.
/chunky radius [block radius]chunky.command.radiusSets the block radius for the task.
/chunky worldborderchunky.command.worldborderAutomatically tailor the center and radius to your world’s border.
/chunky spawnchunky.command.spawnDefines the world’s center to your default vanilla spawn point.
/chunky corners [(x1) (z1) (x2) (z2)]chunky.command.cornersCreates corners for your world generation, instantly creating the center and radius.
/chunky pattern [pattern]chunky.command.patternSets the world generation pattern.
/chunky selectionchunky.command.selectionDisplays the current selection.
/chunky silentchunky.command.silentToggle update messages from tasks.
/chunky quiet [interval]chunky.command.quietDefine an interval between update messages, used to limit console spam.
/chunky progresschunky.command.progressReturns the current process for all tasks.
/chunky reloadchunky.command.reloadReloads the entire plugin and its files on the server to apply new changes.
/chunky trimchunky.command.trimUsed to delete chunks within the selection, such as the world, shape, center blocks, and radiuses.

 

Pre-generation Types

Now that you’re familiar with Chunky commands, it’s time to understand how to use them. As previously mentioned, we advise using the console to perform them. It should be noted that you aren’t using only one command, but multiple ones combined to create the task. There are three different types that give similar or the same results, yet executed in a customized design. The control is entirely up to you, as you may use different commands to achieve the desired goal. However, we will need to go over the necessary steps to start entering the tasks, then jump into the different kinds you can use.

  1. Enter into your server panel and press Console near the top left corner.
    Minecraft Server Console
  2. Once there, confirm the server is online and running by checking the status at the top.
    Minecraft Server Status
  3. When confirmed, proceed to enter your individual command in the textbox below.
    Note: Do not include slashes when using the console, unless specified otherwise.
  4. After entering it, click Send to the far right or press Enter on your keyboard.
    Chunky Start Command
  5. Depending on the command usage, you should see a confirmation message appear.
    Chunky Start Command

    Each plugin message will have the [Chunky] prefix to make it easier to read.

 

World Border

Using your world’s border is the most popular method to use, as it automatically pre-generates every chunk in the map. However, this can result in longer wait-times depending on the size. Using the default world border command determines the time you and others wait for the task to complete. With this said, head towards your console and enter these commands in order:

worldborder set [value]
chunky world [world name]
chunky worldborder
chunky start


 

Custom Border

Instead of using your world’s border, customize it with unique values for a possibly faster task time. Additionally, this can be helpful if you’re not wanting to set a physical in-game border to pre-generate chunks. This isn’t too popular of a method, but gives you and server owners alike more control. Copy and paste the following commands in your console to get started:

chunky world [world]
chunky shape [shape]
chunky center [(x) (z)]
chunky start


Alternatively, use these commands to automatically set the shape, center, and radius of the task:

chunky world [world]
chunky corners [(x1) (z1) (x2) (z2)]
chunky start


 

Block Radius

This is what some server owners use, as it only pre-generates the world in a defined area rather than a specific border or shape. Using it will greatly reduce the amount of time needed for the task to complete since this method isn’t a full border. However, it still requires the center point of your map to know where the radius starts. Keeping this in mind, use the commands down below to initiate the task:

chunky world [world]
chunky center [(x) (z)]
chunky radius [radius]
chunky start


 

Configuration

As for Chunky’s configuration, there isn’t much to review or edit. However, you can allow tasks to run even if the server gets restarted. This might be best if you’re restarting a lot, which happens every day by default in the Scheduled Tasks section. The other option to check out is force loading existing chunks, thereby keeping them active in-game. This helps with village, mob, or regular farms since loaded chunks make them function. These features are the main settings in the file, so we’ll review the necessary steps to access and edit them on your server.

  1. Head towards your server panel and enter in the FTP File Access area.
  2. Login with your password, then navigate to the plugins directory.
    Minecraft Plugins Folder
  3. From here, locate and select the Chunky folder to reveal its contents.
  4. Press Edit on the config.yml file, then start making your desired changes.
    Chunky config.yml
  5. After changing the settings, continue to Save at the top and join the server.
    Chunky Configuration
  6. Use the /chunky reload command to apply the new edits, or Restart from the panel.

 

Common Issues

Plugin Isn’t Working
If you’ve installed the plugin and it appears as red or not at all after doing /plugins, then it’s disabled. This can be caused by using an outdated Minecraft version, so ensure you’re on 1.14 and above. Additionally, make sure your server is based on bukkit, such as Paper or Spigot. Using one of these allows for plugins to properly load and work, meaning it’s required. However, you may have installed Chunky on the wrong server profile. Confirm the panel is using the correct type to load in your world, which should help resolve the issue among the other possible solutions.
 
Cannot Use Commands
The best method for using Chunky is through the console, as it bypasses permissions. If you use this and nothing happens, then verify the command format (usage). For example, the console cannot execute commands that have slashes, unlike in-game ones. Once you’ve confirmed this, it will work on your server without problems. However, if you attempt to do this in-game, then ensure your character is an operator or have the correct permission nodes.
 
Server Became Laggy
After running a Chunky command, the server might lag due to on-going generation. This is to be expected for large worlds or radiuses, but can be stopped with the /chunky cancel command. Although, if the world is heavily altered due to other plugins, then a small pre-generation can still cause issues. In this case, you’ll likely want to wait until the task is finished before attempting to play. Otherwise, try different methods to see what works best for your server.
 

Useful Links

Chunky on Spigot
How to Add Plugins to Minecraft Servers
How to Become a Server Operator
Minecraft Server Optimization

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