Minecraft server types: Paper, Purpur, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and more

The “server type” is the software that runs on your server instead of the official Mojang server. It decides whether you can use plugins or mods, how fast the server runs and how soon you get a new Minecraft version. Here's a comparison of every type we offer in the Software tab, plus a simple rule for choosing one.

Quick pick#

If you're not sure, choose Paper. In the customer area it's marked “Recommended”, and you can change the type later at any time.

Plugins or mods?#

Minecraft server add-ons come in two kinds that can't be combined.

Plugins run only on the server. They use the Bukkit, Spigot and Paper API, so they work on the Paper, Purpur and Folia types. Players join with the regular, unmodified game and don't install anything. Plugins add commands, permissions, land protection, economies or minigames. They can't add new blocks, items or mobs with their own look, because the player's game doesn't know about them.

Mods change the game itself. They work on the Fabric, Forge and NeoForge types (each type has its own mods). Most mods have to be installed on the server and on every player's game, because they add content both sides need to know about. There are also purely server-side mods (for example optimization mods) that players don't need.

Vanilla supports neither plugins nor mods, so you won't see the Plugins or Mods tab for it. Datapacks work on every type, though. They're sets of files that change recipes or world generation, or add features through commands. They go in the world/datapacks folder.

Server types one by one#

Paper#

Paper is our default and recommended type for servers with plugins.

• What it is: a modified server that's much faster than the official one and fixes many game bugs. It runs plugins for Bukkit, Spigot and Paper.
• When to choose it: almost always, unless you want mods.
• Compatibility: in December 2024 Paper split from the Spigot project (a hard fork). Plugins written for Spigot still work; only plugins that use features added to Spigot after the split can have problems.
• Extra tools: it includes the spark profiler for finding the causes of lag (from version 1.21) and the tps and mspt commands, see Performance and optimization.
• Configuration: besides server.properties, it has the config/paper-global.yml and config/paper-world-defaults.yml files and also reads spigot.yml and bukkit.yml.

Purpur#

• What it is: a fork of Paper. According to its authors, it's a drop-in replacement for Paper with dozens of extra settings in purpur.yml: riding mobs, changes to how mobs, blocks and items behave, and other gameplay tweaks.
• When to choose it: when Paper is enough for you, but you want to tweak the game beyond the usual options.
• Compatibility: the same plugins as Paper. Switching from Paper to Purpur on the same Minecraft version doesn't change the world or plugins.
• At StormHost: the Startup tab adds the --add-modules=jdk.incubator.vector startup flag for Purpur, which enables accelerated calculations that Purpur can use.

Folia#

• What it is: a Paper fork from the same team that splits the world into regions and processes them in parallel on multiple CPU cores. A regular server processes the whole world in a single thread.
• When to choose it: only for large servers with many players spread across the map (survival, SkyBlock). According to its authors, Folia isn't useful for most servers.
• Compatibility: most plugins don't work. A plugin has to explicitly declare Folia support. That's why the catalog in the Plugins tab only shows such plugins for Folia. EssentialsX, for example, doesn't work either.
• At StormHost: in the Software tab, Folia is hidden under the Advanced types button and marked “Experimental”.

Spigot (not offered here)#

Spigot is Paper's predecessor. We don't offer it in the installer because Paper runs the same plugins and is faster. If a plugin's instructions say “for Spigot”, choose Paper.

Vanilla#

• What it is: the official Mojang server with no changes at all.
• When to choose it: when you want the game exactly as Mojang released it. Good for technical players whose farms Paper would break, or for testing.
• Limits: no plugins or mods (datapacks work). It's slower than Paper and starts lagging sooner with more players.

Fabric#

• What it is: a lightweight mod loader. It usually supports new Minecraft versions first.
• When to choose it: for mods on new versions, optimization mods or smaller modpacks.
• Compatibility: most mods need the Fabric API library, which you install as another mod in the mods folder. If the server only has purely server-side mods, players can join with the regular game without Fabric.

Forge#

• What it is: the oldest and long the most widespread mod loader. A large share of older modpacks are built on it.
• When to choose it: when a modpack or mod requires Forge.
• At StormHost: we install Forge from Minecraft 1.17 onwards. Older versions can't be deployed from the installer.

NeoForge#

• What it is: a Forge fork founded in 2023 by most of the original Forge team. Many mod authors moved to it for newer Minecraft versions.
• When to choose it: when a modpack was released for NeoForge. For new modpacks, it's the most common choice today.
• Compatibility: Forge and NeoForge mods aren't automatically interchangeable. Always download the mod version for your specific loader.

Proxy: Velocity#

A proxy isn't a game server. It sits in front of several servers and moves players between them. Players connect to one address and can then go, for example, from the lobby to survival without disconnecting. The recommended proxy software is Velocity from the PaperMC team. We don't recommend the older BungeeCord and Waterfall (Waterfall development has ended).

We're still launching the proxy as a separate service. You can also run Velocity on your own VPS. The steps are in A server network with Velocity.

Java or Bedrock?#

Minecraft comes in two editions that don't play together by default:

• Java Edition – the version for Windows, macOS and Linux from the Minecraft Launcher. All the types above are Java servers.
• Bedrock Edition – the version for phones, consoles (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch) and the Windows version from the Microsoft Store.

You can let Bedrock players onto a Java server with the Geyser add-on (a plugin for Paper, a mod for Fabric and NeoForge). We don't offer a standalone Bedrock server in the installer. The guide is in Crossplay with Bedrock.

Comparison table#

The “New Minecraft versions” column is only a rough guide. Authors of individual plugins and mods also need their own time to update, so a server on the newest version often doesn't have all its add-ons right away.

How to change the type#

You change the server type and Minecraft version in the customer area in the Software tab › Change software. Before the change, the server is backed up automatically if you have a free backup slot. The customer area warns you about the risks of the specific change:

• When switching from Paper to a modded type, the plugins folder stays on the disk, but the new type doesn't load it. The same goes for the mods folder when switching the other way.
• When switching from a modded type to anything else, modded blocks and items disappear from the world.
• Paper up to version 1.21.11 saves the Nether and End in separate world_nether and world_the_end folders. Vanilla, Fabric, Forge and NeoForge don't load them and generate new ones. Paper from version 26.1 uses a layout similar to the official server (dimensions inside the world/dimensions folder).

The whole procedure, including file modes and going back, is in Changing the version and software.

Troubleshooting#

A plugin doesn't load and the server doesn't mention it at all#

You probably have a modded type (Fabric, Forge, NeoForge) or Vanilla. They ignore the plugins folder. Check the server type row in the Software tab. For plugins you need Paper, Purpur or Folia.

A mod doesn't work on Paper#

Paper doesn't load mods. If you need the mod, change the type to Fabric, Forge or NeoForge, depending on which loader the mod was released for. There's often a plugin with the same function too, see Installing plugins.

Most plugins stopped working after switching to Folia#

That's expected. Check in the console which plugins loaded (the plugins command). If the plugins you need don't support Folia, go back to Paper.

Players can't join a modded server#

Players need the same loader, the same Minecraft version and the same mods as the server. Details and typical messages are in Mods and modpacks.

A plugin says it requires “Spigot” or “Bukkit”#

A plugin for Spigot or Bukkit works on Paper and Purpur. If it still doesn't load, it's probably outdated or made for a different Minecraft version. How to diagnose it is described in Installing plugins.

Further reading#

• Paper: documentation (opens in a new window)
• Purpur: documentation (opens in a new window)
• Folia: overview from PaperMC (opens in a new window)
• Fabric: installing mods (opens in a new window)
• NeoForge (opens in a new window)