Install plugins on a Paper, Purpur or Spigot server

Plugins add commands, protection, economies, minigames and admin tools to a Minecraft server without players installing anything. They run on Paper, Purpur and Spigot, which all load plugins written for the Bukkit API. Fabric, NeoForge and Forge use mods instead; for those, read the mods guide.

Folia, which we also offer, loads only plugins whose authors have marked them as Folia-compatible, so most of the popular plugins below will not run on it.

The Plugin Manager in the panel searches three plugin sites for you and drops the file in the right folder. This guide covers how to use it, how to pick a version that works, and how to keep things clean.

Check your Minecraft version first

Almost every plugin problem is a version mismatch, so know your server's exact version before you start. Two quick ways:

• Watch the console when the server starts. The first lines name the software and the Minecraft version.
• Type version in the console while the server is running. Paper, Purpur and Spigot answer with the software build and the Minecraft version it is for.

Write the version down, for example 1.21.1, and keep it in mind for the next steps. If you plan to change it later, read changing your Minecraft version first, because plugins need updating with it.

Install a plugin from the panel

1. Open your server in the panel. In the sidebar, open the Minecraft group and click Plugin Manager.
2. In the Filters box, choose a Provider: Modrinth, SpigotMC or Hangar. CurseForge also appears in the list but is not set up on Torchlite.
3. Set Minecraft Version to your server's version. This filter works for Modrinth and Hangar; SpigotMC search ignores it.
4. With Modrinth, you can also set Plugin Loader to Paper, Purpur, Spigot or Bukkit to hide plugins for proxies and other platforms.
5. Search for the plugin by name and click it.
6. Choose a version under Select Version (see the next section), then click Install Plugin.

The panel downloads the plugin's .jar file into the plugins folder and confirms that the installation started. It only takes a few seconds; you can check in Files → plugins. The plugin does nothing until the server restarts.

Pick a version that matches

The Select Version list shows every release of the plugin by name, and the first one is preselected. It is not filtered by your Minecraft version, so the newest release may need a newer Minecraft than yours. Before you install, open the plugin's page on modrinth.com, hangar.papermc.io or spigotmc.org, look up which release supports your version, and pick that one by name.

A few rules help:

• Paper and Purpur run Spigot plugins. Plugins written specifically for Paper do not run on Spigot.
• Hangar is Paper's own plugin site, so its plugins target Paper and its forks.
• The Plugin Manager installs one file. If a plugin depends on another one, such as Vault, ProtocolLib or PlaceholderAPI, install the dependency separately; the plugin's page lists what it needs.
• Paid SpigotMC plugins cannot be downloaded by the panel. Buy them on SpigotMC and upload the jar to plugins with Files or SFTP.

Picking the right release up front saves you a crash loop later.

Restart instead of reloading

Plugins are loaded when the server starts. After installing, updating or removing one, press Restart in the console.

Avoid the /reload command. It unloads and reloads every plugin inside the running server, which many plugins do not handle: they leak memory, run their tasks twice or lose their connections. Paper even warns you and asks you to confirm before it does it. If you only changed a plugin's config file, look for the plugin's own reload command, such as /essentials reload for EssentialsX, which reloads that one plugin safely.

On Torchlite there is a second reason to prefer Restart: restarting a running server keeps its slot. Pressing Stop and then Start can put you in the start queue if the node is full at that moment.

Remove a plugin

1. Press Stop and wait for the server to stop.
2. Open Files → plugins, tick the plugin's .jar file and choose Delete.
3. Decide about its folder. Most plugins create a folder with their name next to the jar, holding configs and data such as homes, permissions or block logs. Keep it if you might reinstall the plugin later, delete it for a clean slate.
4. Press Start.

Deleted files cannot be recovered, so download a plugin's folder first if its data matters to you.

Commonly used plugins

These are long-standing plugins that many survival and community servers start with. Check each one's page for the release that fits your version.

For Bedrock players, see crossplay with Geyser, and for lag, see reducing lag. Every plugin costs memory and startup time, so on a Lite server install the ones you actually use.

Common problems

The plugin does not load

Read the console during startup; the server names every plugin it could not load and says why. The usual reasons are a release built for another Minecraft version, a missing dependency (the error mentions an unknown or missing dependency), or a Fabric or Forge mod dropped into plugins by mistake.

"Ambiguous plugin name"

Two versions of the same plugin are in plugins, usually after an update. Installing a new release does not remove the old file. Delete the older jar and restart.

The install finished but no new file appeared

Paid SpigotMC plugins cannot be fetched by the panel, and neither can some that are hosted on another website. Download the plugin from its page yourself and upload it through Files or SFTP.

The search shows nothing

Your filters may be too narrow. Clear Minecraft Version or Plugin Loader, check the spelling, or try another provider. CurseForge searches do not work on Torchlite.