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How to install plugins on a Minecraft server

Installing a plugin is three moves: drop the .jar in the /plugins folder, restart, and watch the console print [PluginName] Enabled. Here is the clean way to do it on Paper, Spigot, or Bukkit.

ssh root@play.example.net, console
EssentialsX-2.20.1.jar2.3 MB
~/server $ cp EssentialsX-2.20.1.jar plugins/
1 file copied → plugins/EssentialsX-2.20.1.jar
~/server $ screen -r mc · restart
[Server thread/INFO]: Starting minecraft server version 1.21.4
[Server thread/INFO]: Loading properties
[Server thread/INFO]: This server is running Paper version 1.21.4
[Server thread/INFO]: [EssentialsX] Loading EssentialsX v2.20.1
[Server thread/INFO]: [LuckPerms] Loading LuckPerms v5.4
[Server thread/INFO]: [Vault] Loading Vault v1.7.3
[Server thread/INFO]: Preparing level "world"
[Server thread/INFO]: [Vault] Enabled
[Server thread/INFO]: [LuckPerms] Enabled
[Server thread/INFO]: [EssentialsX] Enabled
[Server thread/INFO]: Done (3.812s)! For help, type "help"
The whole trick
  1. 1
    Confirm a plugin server
    Plugins only load on Paper, Spigot, or Bukkit. Vanilla and Fabric will ignore .jar files in /plugins, so check your server type first.
  2. 2
    Match the version
    Download a .jar built for your exact Minecraft version. An EssentialsX jar for 1.21 will fail to enable on a 1.20 server and log a version error.
  3. 3
    Drop the jar in /plugins
    Upload the single .jar straight into the plugins folder, not into a subfolder and not unzipped. The plugins folder sits next to server.jar.
  4. 4
    Restart the server
    Stop and start the server fully. Plugins load during boot, so /reload is unreliable. Use stop in the console, then start again.
  5. 5
    Watch for Enabled
    In the console look for [EssentialsX] Enabled. If you see Disabling instead, open the line above it for the exact dependency or version cause.

What you need

A .jar plugin file
The /plugins folder
One full restart
Console access

Quick answers

?
Where is the plugins folder?
It is created automatically the first time a Paper or Spigot server boots, in the same directory as the server jar. If it is missing, your server is vanilla or Fabric and cannot load Bukkit plugins.
?
Do I unzip the .jar?
No. Plugins ship as a single .jar and must stay zipped. Drop the .jar in directly. Some plugins generate their own subfolder for config files after the first start.
?
Why does it say Disabling instead of Enabled?
Almost always a wrong Minecraft version or a missing dependency such as Vault. Read the line directly above the Disabling message in the console, it names the exact cause.
?
Can I install plugins without restarting?
Use a full restart. /reload often leaves plugins in a broken state and can corrupt others. Stop the server, then start it so every plugin loads cleanly during boot.
?
How many plugins can I run?
There is no hard limit, but each one uses RAM and startup time. Watch the Done (Xs)! line and your memory usage. Bump your RAM before stacking heavy plugins.
?
Are Spigot and Paper plugins compatible?
Yes. Paper is a fork of Spigot, so nearly every Spigot and Bukkit plugin runs on Paper unchanged. The reverse is not always true if a plugin uses Paper-only APIs.
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