LagXpert v2.3 - Performance & Reliability Update

What's New

Major Performance Improvements

• Atomic Counter System: Implemented high-performance atomic counters for TNT and block tracking, replacing expensive chunk scanning operations
• Pre-Placement Validation: Enhanced block placement validation to prevent race conditions and improve reliability
• Smart Alert System: Added intelligent alert filtering to reduce spam when no players are online

Enhanced Item Cleaner System

• Recently Broken Block Tracking: New system tracks when players break blocks and provides grace periods for dropped items
• Material-Specific Grace Periods: Configurable grace periods for valuable materials (diamonds, emeralds, spawners, etc.)
• Intelligent Item Protection: Prevents cleanup of items from recently broken blocks, solving the "mining diamonds but inventory full" scenario

Bug Fixes

• Fixed TNT Limit Bypass: Resolved critical race condition that allowed TNT placement after 3-4 attempts despite limits
• Improved Thread Safety: Enhanced concurrent access handling for block counters and cache operations
• Alert Frequency Fix: Resolved issue with alerts being sent every 2 minutes even when players are online

Technical Improvements
Performance Optimizations

• O(1) Block Counting: TNT and piston counting now uses atomic operations instead of O(n) chunk scanning
• Reduced Memory Usage: Optimized cache invalidation and cleanup processes
• Async Processing: Enhanced asynchronous chunk analysis with better error handling

Code Quality

• Better Error Handling: Improved exception handling throughout the codebase
• Enhanced Logging: Added detailed debug logging for troubleshooting
• Thread-Safe Operations: Strengthened concurrent access patterns

⚙️ Configuration Updates
New Configuration Options
itemcleaner.yml
[code=YAML]broken-block-tracking:
enabled: true
default-grace-period-seconds: 180 # 3 minutes
custom-grace-periods:
DIAMOND_ORE: 300 # 5 minutes for valuable ores
EMERALD_ORE: 300
ANCIENT_DEBRIS: 300
CHEST: 600 # 10 minutes for storage blocks
SPAWNER: 900 # 15 minutes for spawners[/code]

monitoring.yml

Code (YAML):

alerts:
  delivery:
    skip-when-no-players-online : true   # Reduces alert spam

User Experience Improvements

For Server Administrators

• Reduced Log Spam: Fewer unnecessary alerts when server is empty
• Better Performance Monitoring: More accurate TPS and memory tracking
• Improved Debugging: Enhanced debug logs for troubleshooting

For Players

• Protected Valuable Items: Mining diamonds and other valuables is now safer
• Reduced Frustration: Items from recently broken blocks won't be cleaned immediately
• Better Performance: Smoother gameplay due to optimized block limit checking

️ Compatibility & Requirements

Minecraft Compatibility

• Tested Versions: 1.16.5 - 1.21.7
• Newly Supported: 1.21.6, 1.21.7
• Server Software: Spigot, Paper, Purpur, and forks

Java Requirements

• Minimum: Java 11
• Recommended: Java 17 or newer

Migration Notes

Automatic Configuration Migration

• Existing configurations will continue to work without changes
• New features are disabled by default to maintain current behavior
• Configuration files will be automatically updated with new options

Breaking Changes

• None - this update is fully backward compatible

Developer Notes

New API Features

• ChunkDataCache.getAtomicCounter() - High-performance block counting
• RecentlyBrokenBlocksTracker - Track recently broken blocks with grace periods
• Enhanced ChunkOverloadEvent with better context information

Internal Changes

• Refactored StorageListener for better performance and reliability
• Added ItemCleanerListener for broken block tracking
• Improved PerformanceTracker with smarter alert logic

Known Issues

Resolved

• ✅ TNT limit bypass exploit
• ✅ Alert spam when no players online
• ✅ Item cleaner removing freshly mined items
• ✅ Race conditions in block placement validation

Monitoring

• Performance impact of new tracking systems (expected to be minimal)
• Memory usage with large numbers of recent block breaks (automatic cleanup implemented)

Credits
Thanks to the community for reporting these issues and providing valuable feedback that made this update possible.

Documentation
For detailed configuration and usage instructions, please refer to the main README.md file.

LagXpert v2.3 - Making Minecraft servers faster and more reliable, one optimization at a time.