How to pre-generate a Minecraft map with Chunky

Chunk pre-generation is a common practice to improve the performance of a Minecraft server. By generating world areas in advance, you reduce lag when players explore new regions. This guide explains how to use Chunky on a server hosted by Hosterfy.

Determining the type of server used

Before starting, you need to determine what type of Minecraft server you are using, as this will determine which version of Chunky to install:

How do I know what type of server I am using?

• If you are playing with a modpack: You are using a modded server. You will need to determine whether it uses Forge, Fabric, or NeoForge. This information is usually available on the modpack page you are using.

• If you have installed a standard version with Hosterfy: By default, Hosterfy servers are configured to be compatible with plugins.

• If you specifically selected a Vanilla or Snapshot version: You will first need to migrate to Paper to use Chunky. To do this, go to the Quick Install tab to install Paper (make sure not to check the box to reinstall the server to avoid losing all your data).

• If in doubt: The presence of a "plugins" folder indicates a plugin-compatible server, while a "mods" folder indicates a mod-based server.

Downloading Chunky

You can find all available versions of Chunky on the Modrinth website: https://modrinth.com/plugin/chunky/versions.

You can use filters to download the version corresponding to your server.

All that remains is to transfer the downloaded .jar file into the mods or plugins folder (depending on whether your server supports mods or plugins) and restart your server.

Basic use of Chunky

Once the server has restarted and Chunky is loaded, you can access your server console and use the following commands:

1. Check that Chunky is correctly installed:
   

   /chunky​

   This command displays the plugin/mod help.

2. Set the center of the area to be pre-generated (by default, this is the initial server spawn):
   

   /chunky center  ​

   Replace and with the desired coordinates.

3. Set the radius of the area to be pre-generated (in blocks):
   

   /chunky radius ​

   Example: /chunky radius 5000 will generate a 10000×10000 block area.

4. Start the pre-generation:
   

   /chunky start​

ℹ️ Pre-generation can be a very long process, lasting from a few minutes to several days depending on the size of the area you want to generate.

For example, a radius of 10,000 blocks represents about 400 million blocks to generate. During this process, your server's performance will be significantly reduced since most resources will be dedicated to chunk generation. It is therefore highly recommended to perform pre-generation when no one is playing on the server, ideally during off-peak hours or after notifying your players of the maintenance.

Conclusion

Pre-generating a map with Chunky is an excellent way to optimize the performance of your Minecraft server hosted by Hosterfy. The choice between the plugin or mod version depends entirely on your server configuration. If you are using a Vanilla server, remember that migrating to Paper is necessary to take advantage of this feature.

For further assistance, feel free to contact Hosterfy support or consult the official Chunky documentation.