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Paper server hostingThe high-performance Spigot successor for plugin servers

A Paper server is the first choice for anyone running Minecraft with plugins: Paper builds on Bukkit and Spigot but is much faster and more stable. At MainHoster.de, you set up Paper in the panel with a guided setup - choose software and version, install plugins from Modrinth or CurseForge right away, done. If your server is already running, you switch it to Paper with one click in the panel: world, Minecraft version and plugins are kept.

Bukkit/Spigot pluginsAsync optimizationsGeyser crossplayUnlimited slots1-click setupSwitch server type with a click
Minecraft software: Overview Paper Spigot Forge Fabric Bedrock Modpacks Network

What is a Paper server?

Paper (PaperMC) is a highly optimized fork of Spigot, which in turn builds on Bukkit. This lineage is the decisive advantage: Paper is fully compatible with practically all Bukkit and Spigot plugins - so you lose nothing of the huge plugin ecosystem, but gain noticeable performance. Asynchronous chunk processing, optimized entity handling and numerous configurable anti-lag settings make sure your server keeps smooth TPS even with many players, large redstone contraptions and sprawling farms.

For most survival, freebuild and minigame servers, Paper is the standard today. If you want even more configurability, go for Purpur (a Paper fork with hundreds of extra options). For very large player counts on powerful hardware, there is Folia with region-based multithreading - you can set up both with us via the setup as well.

Paper server hosting from €2.99 / month

Prepaid without a contract, DDoS protection up to 250 Gbit/⁠s.

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Install plugins - directly in the panel

In the customer panel, you select plugins during setup or at any time afterwards directly from Modrinth and CurseForge. Matching dependencies are installed automatically, and you check for updates at the push of a button. Popular plugins such as EssentialsX, LuckPerms, WorldGuard, Vault or Dynmap are set up in minutes. Alternatively, you upload any JAR file via SFTP or WebFTP into the plugins/ folder - full freedom for your own or rarely used plugins.

Via Geyser and Floodgate, you can optionally enable crossplay: then Bedrock players on console and phone can connect to your Paper server too - see Set up crossplay. You edit server.properties, MOTD and whitelist conveniently in the config editor.

Paper, Purpur or Folia - when a fork pays off

For the vast majority of servers, Paper is the right target. Two forks go beyond it, but they only pay off in clearly defined cases. Purpur builds on Paper and adds a large number of extra configuration options - from the behaviour of individual mobs to small gameplay tweaks. Your plugins keep running unchanged there, because the Bukkit API stays the same. If you stay close to the default values anyway, however, you gain nothing with Purpur.

Folia is a different case: the fork distributes world regions across several threads and targets very large player counts spread widely across the map. The price for this is compatibility - plugins must be explicitly adapted for Folia; ordinary Bukkit plugins usually do not run there. For a normal community server, Folia is therefore the wrong lever; against stutter, configuration almost always helps, not the server software.

If, on the other hand, you want real mods instead of plugins, the Paper family ends there: then the route leads to Forge or Fabric, and Bukkit plugins drop out. Mixing both on one server does not work - how to keep the two worlds cleanly apart is explained in Install plugins and mods. If you come from plain Spigot, you will find the differences on our Spigot page.

The most effective levers for stable TPS

Before you reach for a bigger plan, it is worth looking at two values in server.properties. view-distance defines how far players see; simulation-distance determines how far the server actually computes - moving mobs, growing plants and ticking redstone. The simulation distance is the more expensive value: lowering it moderately saves noticeable computing time on busy servers without hurting the view distance.

Next come Paper's own options: merging entities, throttled activity in distant chunks and limits for runaway mob farms. You edit all these values in the online config editor, and a restart applies them - schedule it in the scheduler if needed. Which symptoms point to which cause is explained in Understand lag and TPS; the individual keys of the server file are covered in server.properties explained.

Switching to Paper itself is uncritical: Paper reads the same world folders as vanilla and Spigot, and your plugins/ folder and configuration files move along unchanged. Back up the world anyway - Create backups yourself shows how to do that via SFTP or WebFTP in a few minutes; automatic backups are deliberately not part of our plans. How much memory your setup needs in the end is clarified by the RAM guide.

Switch server type - one click instead of file work

With many providers, "switching to Paper" means: find the right JAR, upload it, adjust the start command - or write a ticket and wait. With us, as soon as your server is ready, the item server type is available in the game server panel: you choose Vanilla, Paper, Spigot or Purpur and confirm, nothing more to do. The reinstallation then runs automatically, the page shows the progress, and you can open the install log at any time.

The four types are no random group: they all read the same world format and the same Bukkit configuration. This is why what your server depends on is kept when switching - your world, your Minecraft version, your plugins/ folder and server.properties. The Java environment also stays set correctly, so an old 1.8 or 1.12 server still starts after the switch; which Java version belongs to what is explained in Change the Java version. A version jump is explicitly not part of the switch - your 1.20.1 server stays 1.20.1. There is a separate route for that via Change the Minecraft version.

The same menu also offers Bedrock. This switch is in a different league: because Bedrock has its own world format, the server is completely reinstalled and all files are deleted - world, plugins and configuration included. The way back to Paper works the same way, also with an empty server. So take a backup beforehand.

Before the switch, a dialog describes exactly for your game what happens to world, plugins and configuration - so you know beforehand what you are getting into instead of noticing afterwards. Only types that fit your server are offered. In practice, this means: trying things is allowed. If your vanilla server runs smoothly but you want to test a claim plugin, switch to Paper, keep playing and go back if necessary. And because your team works in the panel anyway, the permission for this can be assigned to individual members - moderators do not need your main login for it.

Two things remain your job: take a backup beforehand, see Create backups yourself, and check the console once after the switch. Plugins that matched the old software report there first if something is missing - the typical cases are in Install plugins and mods.

Your benefits with Paper at MainHoster.de

High TPS stability

Async chunks and anti-lag options keep the tick rate stable - even with many players and complex farms.

Huge plugin ecosystem

Fully compatible with Bukkit and Spigot plugins. Installation from Modrinth/CurseForge with one click or via SFTP.

Bedrock crossplay

With Geyser/Floodgate, Java and Bedrock players play together on your Paper server.

Fine-grained configuration

paper.yml, bukkit.yml and spigot.yml directly in the online config editor - without downloading files.

Server type with a click

You switch between Vanilla, Paper, Spigot and Purpur yourself in the panel - world and plugins stay. Folia is set up via the setup.

DDoS protection

Every Paper server runs with DDoS protection up to 250 Gbit/⁠s in the data centre in Frankfurt am Main.

Paper server hosting - from €2.99 / month

All Minecraft plans (S to XL) share the same hardware and features: unlimited slots, a fixed server address (IP:port), console, config editor, WebFTP, restart scheduler and DDoS protection up to 250 Gbit/⁠s. Paper runs on every plan - the amount of RAM depends on the number of players and the scope of your project. You will find the plans and RAM recommendations on the overview page.

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Frequently asked questions - Paper

Paper is a fork of Spigot with significantly more performance optimizations and configuration options. Since Paper builds on Spigot/Bukkit, practically all Spigot plugins run without changes - Paper is the more modern, faster successor.

Yes. Paper is compatible with the Bukkit and Spigot API. Almost every plugin written for Bukkit or Spigot works on Paper - often even better.

Paper uses the plugin system (Bukkit API), not Forge/Fabric mods. If you want real mods as in large modpacks, you need Forge or Fabric. For server-side extensions, Paper plugins are the right choice.

Yes, yourself in the game server panel: under server type, you choose between Vanilla, Paper, Spigot and Purpur and confirm the switch. No ticket, no waiting. World, Minecraft version, plugins folder and server.properties are kept, because all four types read the same world format. The progress of the reinstallation runs live, and you can open the install log meanwhile. Taking your own backup first is still the better habit.

For small groups, 2-4 GB (plan S/M) are enough. Active communities with many plugins do well with 6-8 GB (plan L). The exact RAM recommendation by number of players is on the Minecraft overview page.