Best Minecraft server plugins, grouped by job

Wispdock’s control panel isn’t built yet. Where a step says “in your control panel”, use whatever your host gives you for files, the console and start/stop. The Minecraft side works the same everywhere.

Choose compatible software first; our plugin hosting page explains what to check before bringing a plugin list.

The short list

Everything here is a Bukkit plugin, so it runs on Paper, Spigot or Purpur. If you haven’t picked one, use Paper; Paper vs Spigot vs Purpur explains why. Every one of these is free.

“Get it from” lists where we’d look first. Several of these are on more than one site. If you’re not sure which page is the real one, start at the project’s own website and follow its download link.

Where to download plugins

Three sites cover almost every plugin worth running:

• Hangar (hangar.papermc.io) is run by the PaperMC team and lists plugins for Paper, Velocity and Waterfall.

• Modrinth (modrinth.com) hosts plugins and mods side by side. Filter by Paper or Bukkit so you don’t download a Fabric mod by mistake.

• SpigotMC (spigotmc.org/resources) is the oldest of the three and still has the widest catalogue, including paid plugins.

On any of them, check two things before you download: the Minecraft versions the latest file supports, and when it was last updated. A plugin that stopped at 1.19 may still load on 1.21, or it may break the first time someone opens a chest.

Skip re-upload sites and “free” copies of paid plugins. A plugin runs with the same access as the server, and leaked jars are a known way to slip in a backdoor. Installing the file itself is a two-minute job: how to install plugins covers the folder, the restart and checking the log.

Permissions: LuckPerms

LuckPerms decides who can run which command. You make groups, give each group permission nodes, and put players in groups. Without a permissions plugin you only have two levels, op and not op, and op is far too much to hand out.

/lp group default permission set essentials.home true
/lp user Steve parent add builder
/lp editor

/lp editor prints a link to a web editor, which is easier than typing nodes by hand. LuckPerms also runs on Velocity, Fabric and NeoForge, so the same setup carries over if you change platform later.

Everyday commands: EssentialsX and Vault

EssentialsX adds the commands players expect on a survival server: /sethome and /home, /tpa, /warp, /msg, kits and a simple economy with /balance and /pay. The download page offers the core jar plus optional modules such as EssentialsX Spawn and EssentialsX Chat. Take only the modules you need, from the same release as the core.

Most of its commands need a permission, so pair it with LuckPerms and give the default group the nodes you want everyone to have.

Vault does nothing you can see. It’s a bridge that lets one plugin read another’s economy and permission data, so a shop plugin can charge money from the EssentialsX economy without supporting EssentialsX directly. Many plugins list Vault as a dependency. Install it when one of them asks.

Logging and rollback: CoreProtect

CoreProtect records block changes, container access and more, then lets you look them up and undo them. If one plugin from this page goes on every server, it should be this one. Someone will eventually break into a chest or burn down a build, and the alternative is restoring the whole world from a backup.

/co inspect
/co rollback u:Steve t:2h r:30

/co inspect toggles inspector mode: click a block to see who placed or broke it. The rollback line undoes everything Steve did in the last two hours within 30 blocks of you. By default it stores data in SQLite inside its plugin folder. It doesn’t replace backups: if the world file itself is damaged, CoreProtect can’t help.

Building and protected areas: WorldEdit and WorldGuard

WorldEdit edits blocks in bulk. Select two corners with the wand from //wand, then fill, replace, copy or paste with commands like //set stone and //copy. //undo reverts your last edit. Give it to builders, not everyone: a careless //set over a big selection can freeze the server for a few seconds.

WorldGuard needs WorldEdit. You select an area with the wand, turn it into a region with /rg define spawn, then set flags on it, for example /rg flag spawn pvp deny. It’s the usual way to protect spawn, a shop street or an event arena. Both come from EngineHub; enginehub.org links the official downloads.

Land claims: GriefPrevention

GriefPrevention lets players protect their own builds. They mark two corners with a golden shovel, and nobody else can build or open containers inside the claim. Players earn claim blocks as they play, and they share access with /trust <player>.

WorldGuard is for areas the admin defines. GriefPrevention is for land players claim themselves. Public servers often run both. On a whitelisted server with six friends, CoreProtect alone may be enough.

Performance: spark and Chunky

spark is a profiler. Run /spark profiler start, let the server lag for a few minutes, then /spark profiler stop. It gives you a link to a report that shows which plugins, entities or chunks are using the tick. Recent Paper builds include spark already, so try /spark before you install it.

Chunky pre-generates the world so players exploring new land don’t trigger chunk generation during play. Set a radius around spawn and start it:

/chunky radius 3000
/chunky start

Run it when nobody is online; it’s heavy work while it runs. /chunky pause and /chunky continue let you stop and resume. Pair it with a world border so players can’t wander past the generated area. Reduce server lag covers what to do with a spark report.

Bedrock players: Geyser and Floodgate

Geyser translates between Bedrock and Java, so players on phones, consoles and Windows Bedrock can join a Java server. Floodgate lets them join without owning a Java account. Bedrock connects over UDP port 19132, which has to be open. The setup has a few traps, so it has its own guide: Java and Bedrock crossplay with Geyser.

Other client versions: ViaVersion

ViaVersion lets players on newer Minecraft versions join a server running an older one. Its add-on ViaBackwards does the reverse, for older clients on a newer server. It’s useful when your plugins haven’t caught up with a new release yet and half the group has already updated. It doesn’t help with mods, and players on the newer client still only get the blocks and features of the server’s version. The proper fix is updating the server once your plugins support the new version.

Discord chat: DiscordSRV

DiscordSRV links Minecraft chat to a Discord channel in both directions, and can post joins, leaves and deaths there. You create a bot in the Discord developer portal, invite it to your server and paste its token into the plugin’s config.yml. Treat that token like a password.

Start small

Install three or four plugins, play for a week, then add the next one when someone actually asks for it. Each plugin is something to update on every Minecraft release, and each one is a possible reason the server won’t start on the new version. Ten plugins you understand beat forty you installed from a list.

Add them one or two at a time and restart in between. If something breaks, you’ll know which one did it. Before a big plugin change, take a backup.

The draft 4 GB plan on the pricing page is sized for Paper with a few plugins. Prices are drafts and ordering isn’t open yet.

Still stuck? Send us the details and your latest.log.