One of the most exciting things about the Minecraft server is the ability to optimize it past what Vanilla Minecraft can offer. One of the best ways to do this is using plugins. The reasoning behind this is that plugins only need to be installed on the server, unlike mods, as mods need to be installed on both the server and Minecraft client itself.
How to install plugins automatically?
Set up your server and make sure to choose Minecraft Java Edition. Once that’s done click on the Manage button for your Minecraft server instance:
Select Configuration:
From there choose Server settings, the option you are looking for is Server type, there you will be able to choose from a variety of custom server types:
In order to install plugins, you will need to choose one of the following:
Server Type | Features |
CraftBukkit | Modified vanilla Minecraft server with the Bukkit API (Application Program Interface) built into it. Bukkit is the API that Bukkit plugins use to interact with the server |
Spigot | Modified Minecraft server based on CraftBukkit which provides additional performance optimizations, configuration options, and features, whilst remaining compatible with all existing plugins and consistent with Vanilla Minecraft game mechanics |
PaperMC* | High-performance fork of the Spigot Minecraft Server that aims to fix gameplay and mechanics inconsistencies as well as to improve performance. The paper contains numerous features, bug fixes, exploit preventions, and major performance improvements not found in Spigot |
* Recommended for users who want to achieve the best possible performance with their current plan without sacrificing server features or functionality
When you specify your preferred server type, click on the Download / Update button, and download will start:
After the download is done your server will be ready to have plugins installed. Navigate back to your Instance section and select Plugins:
All you need to do now is select a plugin, and click on Install:
In case you are not sure about the plugin or want more information about it, just click on the Discussion button:
Once the plugins are installed, you will need to start your server to load them along with their configuration:
How to install plugins manually?
If you don’t find your preferred plugin in the list, you can always install it manually.
The first thing you will need to do is download the actual plugin from the official plugin page, it should be in .jar format. Once that’s done, open File Manager:
Find plugins folder and open it by double-clicking:
And lastly, use the drag-drop method to upload the plugin from your computer to the server instance. Make sure that you are uploading the plugin to the Plugins folder. Once uploading is done, restart your server 😊
It’s worth noting that no matter which method you use for plugins installation, all of them will be stored in Plugins folder along with their configuration.
How to check if plugins are working?
After you restart your server, open your Server console:
And write plugins:
This will display a list of plugins which is currently running on your server.:
This command also works while logged in the server, however, you should use a slash in front of the command while in-game. It should look like this /plugins
Recommended plugins
AuthMeReloaded - This plugin is only needed when playing on Offline mode and it prevents username stealing in your server.
ViaVersion - Allows users with older versions of Minecraft to join your server.
WorldEdit - WorldEdit plugin is widely used for 10 years now and it is crucial for building huge projects and saving time.
AntiCheatReloaded - Helps server admins combat the use of hacked clients and spambots. It analyses the behavior of players and can prevent malicious gameplay.
Set Homes - These days Minecraft server can't be imagined without being able to set your home and teleport there by using command /home.