Check that your server can run plugins
Plugins need server software built for them. Paper and Purpur both run plugins. The vanilla server from Mojang cannot, and Fabric runs mods, which are a different thing: mods usually have to be installed by every player as well, while plugins live only on the server.
If your server is vanilla today, switch it to Paper first. Your world carries over. On StormNodes the server software is changed from the panel.
- Paper or Purpur: plugins work
- Vanilla: no plugins, switch to Paper to use them
- Fabric: mods rather than plugins
Download plugins from trusted places
A plugin runs with full access to your server, so where it comes from matters. Stick to the established sites, where files are tied to a named author and a public project page: SpigotMC, Modrinth and Hangar, which is the plugin site run by the Paper project.
Before installing, check that the plugin supports your Minecraft version and has been updated recently. Avoid re-uploads of paid plugins on other sites. They are the most common way servers get a backdoor installed.
Install from the StormNodes panel
The StormNodes panel has a plugin browser that searches SpigotMC and installs straight onto your server, so there is nothing to download to your own computer first.
- Open your server in the panel and go to the plugins page
- Search for the plugin by name
- Choose install, then restart the server
- Type plugins in the console to confirm it has loaded
Install a plugin by hand
Manual installation works on any host, and on a server you run yourself. A plugin is a single file ending in .jar.
- Download the .jar file for your Minecraft version
- Stop the server, or be ready to restart it afterwards
- Upload the file into the plugins folder using the file manager
- Start the server and wait for it to finish loading
- Type plugins in the console: loaded plugins are listed in green, broken ones in red
Configure it
On first start, most plugins create a folder with their own name inside the plugins folder, with a config.yml file in it. Edit that file in the file manager, save, and either restart the server or use the plugin's own reload command if it has one.
YAML files are strict about spacing. Use spaces, never tabs, and keep the indentation exactly as you found it. A single misplaced space is the most common reason a configuration stops working.
A sensible starter set
You do not need many plugins. A small server is well served by a handful that have been maintained for years and are used on tens of thousands of servers.
- LuckPerms, for ranks and permissions
- EssentialsX, for homes, warps, kits and everyday commands
- WorldEdit, for building and repairing large areas
- CoreProtect, to see who changed a block and roll back griefing
- Vault, a small library that many other plugins require
- Chunky, to pre-generate the world and avoid exploration lag
When a plugin will not load
Read the console from the moment the server starts. The plugin almost always says what is wrong within its first few lines, and the cause is usually one of four things.
Restart the server rather than using the reload command after adding or removing plugins. Reload is known to cause memory leaks and strange errors, and plugin authors generally do not support it.
- Wrong version: the plugin was built for a different Minecraft release
- Missing dependency: it needs another plugin, such as Vault, that is not installed
- Wrong platform: the file is a Fabric or Forge mod, not a plugin
- Broken configuration: a YAML error after an edit; restore the previous file
Updating and removing plugins
To update, replace the old .jar with the new one and restart. Take a backup first when you update several at once, so a bad update is a two-minute rollback rather than a lost evening.
To remove a plugin, delete its .jar and restart. Its configuration folder stays behind so your settings survive if you reinstall. Delete that folder too if you are sure you no longer need it.