Guides Introduction
A Minecraft server with plugins runs on Paper, Spigot or Purpur (not Vanilla, Forge or Fabric), and about ten plugins cover the essentials: EssentialsX for basic commands, LuckPerms for ranks, CoreProtect to undo griefing, WorldEdit and WorldGuard to build and protect, Chunky and spark for performance. With 12 GB of RAM, like the Plugins plan at €8.99 per month, a server with 20 to 40 players easily runs 30 to 50 plugins.
This guide lists the plugins that actually matter, how to install them cleanly, and answers the questions players ask most often: maximum number of plugins, a plugin that won't load, whitelist, op, updates, Bedrock players.
Plugins or mods: what to know before you start
Plugins and mods are not the same thing, and this is the first source of confusion.
- A plugin is installed on the server only. Players join with a regular Minecraft client, nothing to download. It adds commands, rules, menus, an economy, but no new blocks.
- A mod (Forge, NeoForge, Fabric) adds content: blocks, machines, dimensions. Every player must install it too, usually through a modpack. For that route, see our guide on installing Forge or Fabric on a server.
Plugins require compatible server software:
- Paper: the default choice. Compatible with almost every Spigot and Bukkit plugin, much faster than Spigot, updated quickly after each Minecraft release.
- Purpur: a Paper fork with many more configuration options (rideable mobs, gameplay tweaks). Same plugins as Paper.
- Spigot: the ancestor. It works, but there is no reason to pick it over Paper today.
- Folia: a Paper variant that spreads the world across several CPU cores. Promising for very large servers, but many plugins are not compatible. Avoid it for a first server.
So-called hybrid servers (Mohist, Arclight) promise mods and plugins at the same time. They can help in a pinch, but they are unstable and often lag behind new versions: if you want mods, run a modded server; if you want plugins, stick with Paper.
Must-have plugins, category by category
The basics: EssentialsX and LuckPerms
EssentialsX brings the commands everyone expects: /home, /sethome, /spawn, /tpa, /msg, /warp, kits and welcome messages. Add EssentialsX Chat (chat format) and EssentialsX Spawn (spawn point for new players). They are separate modules, downloaded from the same archive.
LuckPerms handles ranks and permissions: player, VIP, moderator, admin. Instead of giving op to your moderators, you create a group and give it only the permissions it needs. The /lp editor command opens a web editor, far easier than typing commands one by one.
Vault has no visible feature: it is a bridge that lets economy, shop and rank plugins talk to each other. Many plugins list it as a dependency, so install it by default.
Protecting the world: CoreProtect, WorldGuard, GriefPrevention
CoreProtect logs every block placed or broken and every chest opened. After a grief, /co inspect shows who touched a block, and /co rollback u:Name t:2h r:30 undoes everything a player did in the last two hours within 30 blocks. This is the plugin that saves a public server.
WorldGuard protects areas defined by staff (spawn, town, arena) with precise rules: no PvP, no block breaking, no mob spawning. It needs WorldEdit to select regions.
GriefPrevention lets players claim their own land with a golden shovel. Ideal for an open survival server, with no need for staff to create every region. Lands or Towny are alternatives if you want towns and nations.
Building: WorldEdit or FastAsyncWorldEdit
WorldEdit copies, pastes, fills or replaces thousands of blocks in one command. FastAsyncWorldEdit (FAWE) does the same while spreading the work so large operations do not freeze the server. On a build-heavy server, FAWE is the better pick. Do not install both: FAWE replaces WorldEdit.
Performance: spark and Chunky
spark measures what slows the server down. /spark tps shows TPS (20 is perfect), /spark profiler records for a few minutes then gives a link showing which plugin, entity or chunk costs the most. Without it, people blame RAM when the real cause is often a villager farm.
Chunky pre-generates the map before launch: /chunky radius 3000 then /chunky start. Exploring players no longer trigger terrain generation on the fly, the number one cause of TPS drops on a new world. Pair it with a world border (/worldborder set 6000) so the map does not grow forever. To go further, see our 15 tips to optimize a Minecraft server.
Opening the server: Geyser, ViaVersion, DiscordSRV
Geyser and Floodgate let Bedrock players (mobile, consoles, Windows) join your Java server without a Java account. Everything is covered in our Geyser guide.
ViaVersion accepts players whose client is on a newer version than the server, handy in the days after a Minecraft update. ViaBackwards does the opposite, for older clients.
DiscordSRV links in-game chat to a Discord channel: messages flow both ways, along with joins, deaths and advancements.
Comfort: Multiverse, TAB, PlaceholderAPI
Multiverse-Core runs several worlds on one server (a survival world, a creative world, a lobby). TAB customizes the player list and name tags. PlaceholderAPI provides variables (rank, balance, ping) to other plugins, and many of them need it.
How to install a plugin on your server
Two methods, same result: a .jar file in the server's plugins folder.
- From the panel. On serv-minecraft, your server's Plugins tab searches Modrinth and SpigotMC directly: type "EssentialsX" or "LuckPerms", click Install. The panel drops the file in the right place.
- Manually. Download the
.jarfrom a trusted source, then upload it to thepluginsfolder with the panel's file manager or over SFTP.
Then restart the server. Avoid /reload: it hot-reloads plugins and causes memory leaks and odd behavior. Paper itself advises against it. On startup, each plugin creates its config folder in plugins/PluginName/, usually a config.yml that you edit and apply with another restart.
Trusted sources: Modrinth, Hangar (PaperMC's official repository), SpigotMC and CurseForge (Bukkit section). Never download a "leaked" copy of a paid plugin: it is the classic entry point for backdoors that give op to a stranger.
Frequently asked questions
How many plugins can a Minecraft server run?
There is no fixed limit. What matters is what the plugins do: 40 lightweight plugins (commands, chat, ranks) weigh less than three badly written ones that scan every chunk. As a benchmark, 12 GB of RAM handles 30 to 50 plugins for 20 to 40 players. If TPS drops, /spark profiler points to the culprit. Our guide on how much RAM a Minecraft server needs details requirements by server type.
My plugin won't load, what should I do?
Read the console at startup: the error is almost always written there. The four usual causes:
- the plugin does not support your Minecraft version (check the versions listed on its page);
- a dependency is missing: Vault, ProtocolLib or PlaceholderAPI, the message says "Unknown dependency";
- the Java version is too old (Java 21 minimum since Minecraft 1.20.5);
- the server runs Vanilla, Forge or Fabric: the console then mentions no plugins at all. Switch to Paper.
/plugins in game shows the list: green means active, red means it crashed while loading.
How do I make a player op or admin?
In the panel console, type op Name (no slash). In game, an op can type /op Name. Keep op for the owner: op grants every permission. For moderators, create a LuckPerms group (/lp creategroup moderator) and add only the permissions they need, such as coreprotect.inspect or essentials.kick.
How do I turn on the whitelist?
/whitelist on then /whitelist add Name for each allowed player. /whitelist list shows the list. For a Bedrock player coming through Geyser, use Floodgate's /fwhitelist add Name, because their identifier is different.
How do I update a plugin?
Stop the server, delete the old .jar (otherwise both versions clash on startup), drop in the new one, restart. Keep the plugin's config folder, it is reused. Before a Minecraft update, check that your main plugins already support the new version, as explained in our article on updating to 26.3.
Do plugins work for Bedrock players?
Java plugins cannot be installed on a Bedrock server (which uses add-ons). However, with Geyser on a Paper server, Bedrock players enjoy the same plugins as Java players: homes, ranks, protections, economy.
Can I keep my plugins when changing hosts?
Yes: copy the whole plugins folder (the .jar files plus the config and data folders) along with the world. CoreProtect data, EssentialsX homes and LuckPerms ranks all come along. The full walkthrough is in moving a Minecraft server to a new host.
Summary
To start a plugin server: Paper as the software, then EssentialsX, LuckPerms, Vault, CoreProtect, WorldEdit (or FAWE) and WorldGuard, Chunky and spark. Add GriefPrevention for a public server, Geyser if your friends play on mobile or console, DiscordSRV if you have a Discord community. Install, restart, read the console: that's it.
The serv-minecraft Plugins plan is built for this: 12 GB of RAM, 6 vCPU, NVMe storage and DDoS protection for €8.99 per month, with one-click plugin installs from the panel.
