Chunky Setup
Chunky is a Bukkit plugin or a Forge mod that can be used to pre-gen chunks for a Minecraft server. It usually helps a big bunch with server load times and would make the playing experience a lot smoother. We recommend to do this even if you don't find it necessary.
Installation
For Paper/Spigot Based Servers:
To get started with pregenerating your world on a Spigot/Paper-based server, download the plugin's jar file from: spigotmc.org/resources/chunky.81534/ (opens in a new tab).
Before you can use the plugin, place the jar file inside your /plugins folder (either drag-and-drop into the file manager or use SFTP).
For Forge-Based Servers:
To pregenerate worlds on a Forge/modded server, download the mod's file at curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/chunky-pregenerator-forge (opens in a new tab).
Once downloaded, plop the mod into your /mods folder (drag-and-drop the mod into the file manager or use SFTP).
Restart the server and Chunky should be good to go!
Using The Plugin
To using the plugin is a fairly easy process, however always take a backup of your server before you start, just to be on the safe side.
Once you have the plugin installed, you can use the following commands to pregenerate chunks:
/chunky radius <chunk-size>(Sets the radius of the chunks to be pregenerated)/chunky center <x> <z>(Sets the center of the chunks to be pregenerated)/chunky start(Starts the pregeneration process)/chunky pause(Pauses the pregeneration process)/chunky resume(Resumes the pregeneration process)/chunky stop(Stops the pregeneration process)/chunky status(Shows the status of the pregeneration process)/chunky setcorners <x1> <z1> <x2> <z2>(Sets the corners of the chunks to be pregenerated)/chunky setcenter <x> <z>(Sets the center of the chunks to be pregenerated)
(Refer to Chunky docs (opens in a new tab) for more commands and useful tips.) ] Center is the chunk that the pre-generation will start from, most people should leave it as default but this can be changed. Radius is how many blocks from the center chunk will be pregenerated.
Don't go too crazy high with the number! It can take a while (hours in fact) to pregen a server, although you can play while running the plugin, you may experience some funky gameplay, so best to start it before you head to bed and wake up to a pre-genned server in the morning.
Example
To pregenerate a 5000x5000 chunk area centered at 0,0, you would use the following commands:
/chunky radius 5000/chunky center 0 0/chunky start
This process can take hours, however you can play concurrently as it's pregenerating, but can cause noticeable lag. Once Chunky is done, all the chunks from x5000, z5000 to x-5000, z-5000 have been pregenerated.
We recommend to run this plugin before you've publicly released your server, as running it while your server is live will cause lag and will be annoying for your players. The commands should be the same for both Paper/Spigot-based servers and Forge-based servers. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the Discord community server (opens in a new tab)!