Install Minecraft plugins & modsUsing the plugins/ and mods/ folders correctly

Published on October 20, 2026

Plugin or mod - what is the difference?

A plugin runs only on the server side via the Bukkit/Spigot API (so on Paper, Purpur or Spigot). Players do not need to install anything. Plugins live in the plugins/ folder. A mod, on the other hand, intervenes more deeply in the game and runs via a loader (Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, Quilt). Mods live in the mods/ folder and usually have to be installed on the client too.

This leads to the first step that many people overlook: a pure vanilla server does not load plugins. It simply ignores the plugins/ folder - without an error message, which is why the search often goes in the wrong direction. You need Paper, Purpur or Spigot for that. With us, this is not a migration: in the game server panel, you switch between Vanilla, Paper, Spigot and Purpur with one click under server type. World, Minecraft version, the plugins/ folder and server.properties are kept, because all four read the same world format. You do not need a ticket for this, and you can watch the progress of the reinstallation live.

Installation with 1 click

In the panel, you select plugins and mods directly from Modrinth and CurseForge - dependencies such as the Fabric API or required libraries are installed automatically along with them. This is the quickest route and avoids version conflicts.

Installation via SFTP

1. Download the matching .jar file - make sure the Minecraft and loader/API versions are right.
2. Stop the server.
3. Upload plugins via SFTP or WebFTP into plugins/, mods into mods/. For a larger, self-assembled mod list, take a look at Create your own modpack.
4. Restart the server. On startup, configuration files are created that you then adjust in the config editor.

Popular plugins include EssentialsX, LuckPerms, WorldGuard, Vault and Dynmap. Important: plugins and mods cannot be mixed - a Paper server uses plugins, a Forge/Fabric server uses mods.

Players have to install mods too

This is the difference that matters most in everyday use - and it is often only noticed after installation:

• Plugins run only on the server. Your fellow players install nothing and only notice the changed behaviour. They join with a completely normal Minecraft.
• Mods need both sides. Every player needs the same mods in the same version, plus the matching Forge or Fabric installation. If something is missing, joining fails.

For an open server, plugins are therefore the much lower-maintenance choice. As soon as mods are involved, you need instructions for your group - easiest via a ready-made modpack that everyone can install with one click.

Bring versions together

Almost every installation problem can be traced back to a mismatched version. Three levels have to match:

1. Minecraft version. A plugin for 1.20 does not run reliably on 1.21.
2. Server software. A Paper plugin runs on Paper and usually on Spigot, a Fabric mod only on Fabric.
3. Dependencies. Many plugins need others - Vault for economy plugins, for example, Fabric API for almost every Fabric mod. If a dependency is missing, the plugin does not load and only reports it in the console.

So install one at a time and restart in between. That sounds tedious, but it saves you searching when nothing works any more after uploading five files at once. The server console lists every loaded plugin at startup - comparing it with your folder immediately shows which one is missing.

Configure and update

On the first start, every plugin creates its own folder with configuration files - before that, there is nothing to edit. If you look for the file before the server has run with it once, you simply will not find it.

Most of these files are YAML. Indentation matters there: spaces yes, tabs no. A single tab causes the plugin to discard the file and start with default values. After changes, a /reload confirm is enough for many plugins; a server restart is safer.

Before updates, the same applies as everywhere: back up first, then change. Backups are self-service with us throughout, via WebFTP or SFTP, see Create backups. Especially with plugins that write data into the world - claim protection, economy, statistics - a backup before the update is worth the minute.

Frequently asked questions