Guides for game server owners
Practical guides on lag, tick rate, retention, store revenue and alerts, for Minecraft, Rust, FiveM, CS2 and more. Written from the data our agents collect.
Performance
Lag, tick rate and server FPS: find the cause, not just the symptom.
PerformanceFiveM: finding the resource eating your server's CPUWhat FiveM server thread hitch warnings mean, why resmon won't show server-side cost, and how to use FXServer's profiler to find the resource behind it.PerformanceGarry's Mod server lag: tick rate, addons and finding the causeWhy Garry's Mod servers lag: tick rate, physics and props, and addon hooks. How to profile with FProfiler, and how to catch the addon behind a spike.PerformanceHow to find which plugin is lagging your Minecraft server (TPS vs MSPT explained)TPS hides lag until it's too late; MSPT shows it early. How to read spark, find the plugin behind a lag spike on Paper, and what normal numbers look like.PerformanceRust server FPS: what's normal, and what drags it downWhat Rust server FPS means, what numbers are healthy, and how entities, plugins, saves and GC pull it down over a wipe, with the commands to check each.PerformanceServer tick rate explained: CS2 sub-tick, TF2, CS:Source and L4D2What server tick rate means, why CS2 is 64 tick with sub-tick, 64 vs 128 tick, Source 1 -tickrate, and how to check your server really keeps up.
Retention
Who comes back, who leaves, and what changes it.
RetentionThe 10 numbers every game server owner should trackThe game server KPIs that matter: players, new vs returning, retention, session length, churn, TPS or FPS, uptime, ping and revenue, and how to get each.RetentionPlayer retention for game servers: D1, D7 and D30 explainedWhat D1, D7 and D30 retention mean for a game server, how weekly cohorts work, how to read a cohort table and which changes bring new players back.RetentionHow to grow a Minecraft server with data (not guesswork)Grow a Minecraft server by measuring which server lists, votes, creators and campaigns bring players who stay, using a separate join address per source.RetentionMinecraft server churn: spotting players about to leaveWhy players leave a Minecraft server, how churn differs from retention, and how to spot regulars drifting from their own play rhythm before they go.RetentionRust wipe day analytics: measuring what each wipe brings backHow to measure a Rust wipe: wipe-day peak and queue, day-4 population, new vs returning players, and how to pick the best wipe time and schedule.
Revenue
Store sales, packages and what players are worth.
Economy & moderation
In-game money, payments between players, punishments and the abuse behind them.
Economy & moderationFiveM money logs for ESX, QBCore and Qbox: see every transferFiveM frameworks log money changes, not who paid whom. How both legs of a transfer are paired, and how to search payments on ESX, QBCore or Qbox.Economy & moderationSpotting alt-account money funnels and staff abuseThe payment patterns behind alt farming, transfer rings and staff self-dealing, and how to catch them in the money log without tracking IPs.Economy & moderationTracking player-to-player payments on Minecraft (EssentialsX, CMI, Vault)Log every /pay on a Minecraft server: what EssentialsX, CMI and Vault expose, why one payment often counts twice, and how to search who paid whom.
Setup
Install the agent for your game in about five minutes.
SetupInstall ServerStats on FiveM and RedM (Qbox, QBCore, ESX, VORP/RSG)Install the ServerStats resource on a FiveM or RedM server: server.cfg lines, claim code, convars, framework detection for Qbox, QBCore, ESX, VORP and RSG.SetupImport Plan history into ServerStats for MinecraftMove Minecraft sessions, first-join dates, available countries and join-address history from a Plan SQLite backup without uploading the full database.SetupInstall ServerStats on Paper, Purpur, Folia and VelocityInstall the ServerStats analytics plugin on Paper, Purpur, Folia or a Velocity proxy: download, claim code, config.yml keys, status checks and fixes.SetupInstall ServerStats on a Hytale serverInstall the ServerStats plugin on a Hytale server: jar in mods/, claim code, config.yml keys, /serverstats status, lag spikes by mod and common fixes.SetupInstall ServerStats on a Rust server (Oxide/uMod or Carbon)Install the ServerStats plugin on a Rust server with Oxide/uMod or Carbon: one .cs file, a one-time claim code, status commands and fixes for usual errors.SetupBasic mode: monitor any Steam game server without installing anythingHow A2S and other server queries work, which query port each game uses, and how to track players, uptime and version changes without a plugin.SetupRun the ServerStats sidecar for Palworld, Satisfactory, Terraria, SCUM, Project Zomboid and SquadSet up the ServerStats sidecar on Linux for Palworld, Satisfactory, Terraria, SCUM, Zomboid, Squad and Source games: config, systemd, checks and fixes.
Alerts & Discord
Know about problems before your players tell you.
Alerts & DiscordSetting up Discord alerts for your game server (downtime, lag and player drops)Get a Discord message when your game server goes down, lags or loses players: webhook setup step by step, alert rules that don't spam, and a DIY script.Alerts & DiscordGame server stats in Discord: alerts today, bot coming soonDiscord webhook alerts for downtime and lag work today. The /stats command and a live player counter are planned for the bot.
AI & API
Ask questions in plain English, or pull your data into other tools.
AI & APITurn events from your game server plugins into chartsSend quests, crates, jobs or any plugin action to ServerStats, then chart them and build leaderboards from the events your server sends.AI & APIQuery your game server analytics with MCPConnect Claude Code, Claude Desktop or Cursor to ServerStats's read-only MCP tools on Network. The built-in Ask ServerStats AI assistant is coming soon.
See it on your own server
Free for one server, no card. Or look up the terms in the glossary.