The best Minecraft server plugins, sorted by job

The best Minecraft server plugins are the boring ones everyone runs: LuckPerms for permissions, EssentialsX for everyday commands, a claims or region plugin so nobody loses their base, CoreProtect so you can undo griefing, spark to find lag, and NuVotifier so server lists can deliver votes. Nearly every public server starts there. What makes a server special comes after that core, and it's usually one or two plugins built for its game mode, not twenty.

Everything here runs on Paper, the most common plugin server software, and on its forks like Purpur. Plugins don't run on vanilla, Fabric or Forge servers, and they can't be added to Realms.

The starter stack: six plugins almost every server needs

That's a complete, stable survival server. Add the rest of this guide only when you have a reason.

Permissions: LuckPerms basics

Without a permissions plugin, you only have OP and not-OP, and OP is far too much power for staff. LuckPerms gives each group exactly the commands it needs. On Paper, OPs can use LuckPerms commands by default, so do the first setup from the console.

1. Create groups. lp creategroup member, then lp creategroup helper and lp creategroup mod.
2. Grant permissions. lp group member permission set essentials.home true. Plugin docs list their permission nodes.
3. Set inheritance. lp group mod parent add helper so mods get everything helpers have, then lp group helper parent add default.
4. Put players in groups. lp user Steve parent add helper. For a trial, lp user Steve parent addtemp helper 14d expires by itself.
5. Use the editor for bulk work. /lp editor opens a web editor. Save, then paste the command it gives you back into the console.
6. Debug with verbose. /lp verbose on shows every permission check as it happens, so you can see which node a command is missing.

The full syntax is on the LuckPerms command usage page. Tracks (/lp createtrack staff, then /lp track staff append helper) let you promote someone with one command.

Protection and staff plugins

Choose protection by how your server plays:

CoreProtect is the plugin staff use most. /co i toggles the inspector (click a block to see who changed it). /co rollback u:Griefer t:2h r:30 undoes one player's last two hours within 30 blocks. Leave out r: and it uses a radius of 10. /co purge t:30d keeps the database from growing forever.

For moderation, EssentialsX already covers the basics: /mute, /tempban, /vanish, /socialspy, /invsee and /seen. Bigger servers add a dedicated punishment plugin that keeps a history and syncs bans across a network. Our staff guide covers how to give each rank the right commands.

Anti-cheat: what a plugin can and can't catch

Movement and combat cheats (fly, speed, reach, killaura) are the job of an anti-cheat plugin. Grim is free and open source. It predicts where a player should be and flags differences, and it supports Paper and Folia. Paid options exist too.

• No anti-cheat is set-and-forget. Expect false flags after updates, and have staff review alerts before banning.
• X-ray isn't caught by movement checks. Paper has a built-in anti-xray under anticheat.anti-xray in its world config; turn it on for survival worlds.
• Two anti-cheats fight each other. Run one.

Voting, economy and rewards

If you list on server lists, votes only reach your server through Votifier. Install NuVotifier, open its port (8192 by default), and give each list your token (v2) or public key (v1). NuVotifier only receives votes; a rewards plugin like VotingPlugin turns them into keys, coins or streak bonuses. Our NuVotifier setup guide walks through it, including connecting to 9MinecraftServer.

For money, the usual pattern is an economy provider plus the Vault bridge that lets other plugins read balances. EssentialsX includes a simple economy (/balance, /pay, /eco give). Shops, jobs and auction plugins then plug into Vault. Anything you sell for real money has to follow Mojang's rules; see what the EULA lets you sell.

Crossplay and voice chat plugins

Geyser translates Bedrock connections so phone, Windows, and console players (through community workarounds) can join your Java server. It goes in the plugins folder like any other and listens on UDP 19132. Add Floodgate so Bedrock players can join without also owning a Java account. Our crossplay server guide has the full setup.

For proximity voice, Simple Voice Chat and Plasmo Voice both offer server-side plugins, but every player also needs the matching client mod, so they suit modpacks and whitelisted SMPs more than drop-in public servers. DiscordSRV bridges your in-game chat and a Discord channel, which is often the simpler "voice" answer for public servers.

Best Minecraft server plugins for performance (and ones to skip)

Only two plugins reliably help performance: spark, which tells you what's slow, and Chunky, which pre-generates your world so new terrain isn't built while people play. Everything else is config. Our lag fix guide has the settings.

• Lag-clear plugins that wipe dropped items every few minutes. Paper's merge radius and item despawn settings do the same job without deleting a player's diamonds mid-trip.
• Mob stackers on naturally spawned mobs. A widely used community optimization guide warns that stacking naturally spawned mobs causes more lag than it saves. If farms are the problem, cap entities per chunk instead.
• Plugin managers that reload plugins live. Hot-reloading breaks plugins in subtle ways. Restart instead, and never use /reload on a live server.
• Five plugins doing one job. Three chat formatters and two scoreboard plugins is how "lagging for no reason" starts.

Installing plugins safely, and the leaked-plugin trap

1. Download from the source. Use Hangar (PaperMC's plugin repository), Modrinth, SpigotMC, or the project's own GitHub releases.
2. Match the version. Check the plugin supports your server version. At the time of writing (September 2026), that's Java 26.3. If the page only lists an older version, check the changelog or issues page before trusting it on a new release.
3. Drop it in plugins/ and restart. Read the console on start-up for errors.
4. Configure, then restart again. Most plugins create a folder of config files on first run.
5. Back up first. Every time. A bad plugin update can corrupt data that a restore fixes in minutes.

Quick questions