So that the server runs smoothly with many players, some values differ from vanilla.

## Villagers

Villagers and wandering traders do not trade in the SMP. Where you get everything instead is under [Villagers](/game-modes/smp/villagers).

## Sleeping

The night is not skipped; it runs faster once enough players in the Overworld sleep. Only active players count. A boss bar shows everyone how many are still missing. If someone gets up and it is no longer enough, time runs normally again.

This many must sleep:

- 1 player: 1
- 2 players: 2
- 3 players: 2
- 4 players: 3
- 6 players: 4
- 10 players: 6
- 20 players: 9
- 30 players: 13
- 50 players: 19
- 75 players: 25

## Mob spawning

Fewer mobs spawn than in vanilla:

| Category             | Vanilla | SMP |
| :------------------- | ------: | --: |
| Ambient (bats)       |      15 |   4 |
| Axolotls             |       5 |   3 |
| Monsters             |      70 |  25 |
| Water ambient (fish) |      20 |  10 |

How often the game tries to spawn mobs, in ticks (20 ticks = 1 second):

| Category          | Vanilla | SMP |
| :---------------- | ------: | --: |
| Ambient           |       1 | 400 |
| Animals           |     400 | 300 |
| Axolotls          |       1 | 400 |
| Monsters          |       1 |  10 |
| Water ambient     |       1 | 200 |
| Water animals     |       1 | 100 |
| Underground water |       1 | 200 |

## Activation range

Mobs further from the nearest player are only rarely processed. AFK farms only work if you stand close enough.

| Type     | Vanilla | SMP |
| :------- | ------: | --: |
| Animals  |      32 |  16 |
| Monsters |      32 |  24 |
| Other    |      16 |   8 |

## Despawn distance

| Distance                   | Vanilla | SMP |
| :------------------------- | ------: | --: |
| Mob _may_ despawn randomly |      32 |  28 |
| Mob _always_ despawns      |     128 |  72 |

This applies to all mobs, measured horizontally from the nearest player. Named mobs never despawn, as in vanilla.

## Items and XP merge

Items and XP orbs on the ground merge into one stack faster, sometimes even through thin walls.

| What  | Vanilla |        SMP |
| :---- | ------: | ---------: |
| Items |     0.5 | 3.5 blocks |
| XP    |       – |   5 blocks |

## Item despawn

In vanilla an item despawns after 5 minutes. In the SMP typical bulk drops despawn faster. **This also applies to items you lose.**

- **30 seconds:** arrows, cobblestone, cobbled deepslate, andesite, diorite, granite, tuff, dirt, netherrack, red sand, leaves, grass, twisting vines, weeping vines, golden swords
- **40 seconds:** bamboo, cactus, kelp, melons, melon slices, pumpkins, sugar cane
- **45 seconds:** scaffolding
- **2 minutes:** sand, gravel
- **everything else:** 5 minutes, as in vanilla

## Hoppers, containers, grass and spawners

| What                        | Vanilla       | SMP           |
| :-------------------------- | :------------ | :------------ |
| Hoppers check for new items | every tick    | every 4 ticks |
| Hopper transfer             | every 8 ticks | every 8 ticks |
| Container updates           | every tick    | every 3 ticks |
| Grass spreading             | every tick    | every 4 ticks |
| Mob spawners                | every tick    | every 2 ticks |

Item sorters and clocks from vanilla tutorials may therefore need small adjustments.

## Redstone

The server uses the “Alternate Current” redstone implementation. Redstone dust calculates its power for a whole network at once. It behaves almost exactly like vanilla. Only the order of updates no longer depends on position. A very few circuits that rely on random vanilla behaviour therefore act differently.