Install plugins on Paper and Spigot

Plugins or mods?

Plugins run on Paper, Spigot or Purpur. They change the server only, so players join with a normal, unmodded game. Mods run on Forge, NeoForge or Fabric and usually need to be installed on every player’s game too.

You cannot put plugins on a vanilla, Forge or Fabric server. If your server runs vanilla, switch to Paper first — it plays the same, runs faster and loads plugins. Your existing world works on Paper.

Want mods instead? See install mods on a Minecraft server.

Where to download plugins

Stick to these sources:

• Hangar (hangar.papermc.io) — the official Paper plugin site.
• Modrinth — has a plugin section with Paper and Spigot filters.
• SpigotMC resources — the largest and oldest library.
• The plugin’s own GitHub releases, if the developer links it.

Avoid “free premium plugin” sites and random download links from videos. A plugin has full access to your server; a malicious one can wipe your world or give strangers OP.

Check before you download

• Minecraft version. The plugin page lists supported versions. A plugin for an old version may load and then break things.
• Server software. “Paper only” plugins do not run on Spigot. Spigot plugins almost always run on Paper.
• Dependencies. Some plugins need others first, often Vault (economy), ProtocolLib or PlaceholderAPI. The page tells you.
• Last update. A plugin not updated for years may not work on current versions.

Installing a plugin, step by step

1. Stop the server.
2. Upload the .jar file into the plugins folder, via SFTP or your server panel’s file manager. Upload only the .jar, not a zip.
3. Start the server. The plugin loads and usually creates its own folder inside plugins with a config.yml.
4. Check that it loaded: type /plugins in game. Green names are running; red names failed to load.

Do not use /reload. It reloads plugins in a running server and is a common cause of memory leaks and odd errors. Always restart.

Configuring a plugin

1. Stop the server.
2. Open plugins/<PluginName>/config.yml.
3. Change values. YAML is picky: use spaces, never tabs, and keep the indentation exactly as it was.
4. Start the server.

Many plugins have their own reload command, like /luckperms reload or /essentials reload. Those are fine to use; they only reload that plugin’s config.

Plugins most servers use

Purpose	Common choice
Permissions and ranks	LuckPerms
Basic commands (/home, /spawn, /tpa)	EssentialsX
Block logging and rollbacks	CoreProtect
Land claims for survival	GriefPrevention or similar
World editing	WorldEdit
Crossplay with Bedrock	Geyser + Floodgate
Pre-generating the world	Chunky
Performance profiling	spark

Start small. Each plugin adds work to every tick, and fewer plugins means fewer conflicts after updates.

When plugins need a database

LuckPerms, CoreProtect and others can store data in files, which is fine for most small servers. For larger servers, or if you run several servers that share data, they can use MySQL instead.

When a plugin does not load

1. Open logs/latest.log and search for the plugin name.
2. Common messages:
   • “Unknown dependency” — install the plugin it names.
   • “Unsupported API version” — the plugin was built for a newer Minecraft version than your server runs.
   • “Invalid plugin.yml” — the file is not a server plugin (often a mod or a broken download).
3. Remove the last plugin you added if the server stops starting at all.

Updating plugins

• Update Minecraft and plugins together. After a Minecraft update, wait until your important plugins support the new version.
• Replace the old .jar with the new one; keep the plugin’s folder so its data stays.
• Back up first — see backups and restores.

For ranks and permissions, continue with whitelist, OPs and permissions.