Paper, Purpur, Fabric or Forge: which Minecraft server software?
The first big decision for a Minecraft server is which software to run. It decides whether you can use plugins or mods, how well the server performs and how easy updates will be. Here are the main options and when to use each.
Plugins or mods?
This question decides most of it.
- Plugins run only on the server, so players join with the normal game and install nothing. They add commands, economies, land protection, minigames and more. Paper and Purpur run plugins.
- Mods can add new blocks, items, mobs and dimensions, and players usually need the same mods installed. Fabric, Forge and NeoForge run mods.
Vanilla
Mojang's official server, with no plugins or mods, and the slowest option here. It's fine for a few friends who want the game exactly as it ships; most public servers move on quickly.
Paper
The most popular choice for plugin servers. Paper is a high-performance server that runs Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins, fixes many exploits and adds a lot of performance settings. It includes the spark profiler. If you're not sure, start with Paper.
Purpur
A fork of Paper that adds many extra gameplay options, such as rideable mobs and changes to vanilla rules, all off until you turn them on. It runs Paper plugins. Choose it if you want those options; otherwise Paper is the simpler choice.
Spigot
The project Paper grew out of. Paper runs Spigot plugins and is faster, so there's little reason to pick Spigot for a new server today.
Folia
A Paper fork that splits the world into regions and runs them on several CPU cores at once. It can handle very large player counts, but many plugins don't work on it. It's for big servers built around it, not a drop-in upgrade.
Fabric
A lightweight mod loader that updates quickly to new Minecraft versions. Many modern modpacks use it, and it has strong performance mods, such as Lithium. Most Fabric mods also need Fabric API.
Forge and NeoForge
Forge is the long-standing loader behind many large modpacks, especially on older Minecraft versions. NeoForge is a community fork of Forge from 2023, and many newer modpacks use it. Check which loader your modpack names: on recent versions, Forge and NeoForge mods aren't interchangeable, and neither runs Fabric mods.
Networks: Velocity
To link several servers, for example a lobby, survival and minigames, you put a proxy in front of them. Velocity is the proxy PaperMC maintains and recommends. The older BungeeCord still works, while PaperMC's Waterfall is no longer maintained. Velocity runs its own plugins, not BungeeCord ones.
Side by side
| Software | Runs | A good fit for |
|---|---|---|
| Paper | Plugins | Most plugin servers: fast and widely supported |
| Purpur | Plugins | Paper servers that want extra gameplay options |
| Folia | Some plugins | Very large servers built around regions |
| Fabric | Mods | Modern modpacks and performance mods |
| Forge or NeoForge | Mods | Large modpacks; check which loader yours needs |
| Vanilla | Neither | Small private worlds with no changes |
| Velocity | Proxy plugins | Linking several servers into one network |
Our recommendation
For a community server with plugins, start with Paper. For a modpack, use the loader the pack names. Whichever you choose, give it the memory it needs (see how much RAM a Minecraft server needs) and a fast CPU core. Our guide to making a Minecraft server on a Linux VPS sets up Paper step by step.
Newer server versions need newer Java. See which Java version a Minecraft server needs.
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