How to install plugins on your Minecraft server
MinecraftWhat this covers: the Java plugin server types, which on our lineup are Paper, Purpur, Spigot, and SpongeVanilla. Mod loaders and the Bedrock server types load add-ons differently; this page is strictly about plugins.
What you need
- The plugin's .jar file, from the plugin project's own page. Many plugin projects live on public plugin indexes such as SpigotMC or Hangar.
- The build of that plugin made for your server's platform and game version. Step 1 shows how to check that.
- Your server open in the panel. Files, console, and the restart control do the whole job. There is no plugin marketplace in our panel and nothing installs by itself; you pick the plugin, we run the server.
Steps
- Check version fit first. The plugin's page lists the platforms and game versions a build supports. Pick the build that matches your server type (Paper, Purpur, Spigot, SpongeVanilla) and your game version. Plugins written for Spigot usually load on Paper and Purpur as well; the other direction you should not count on. A version mismatch is the most common reason a plugin never comes up.
- Open your server in the panel. Log in at panel.carbonhosting.xyz and open your server's page.
- Open the Files tab and go into the plugins folder. If the folder is not there yet on a fresh install, create it with the file manager's folder control.
- Upload the jar. Use the file manager's upload control to place the .jar file inside the plugins folder. Upload the jar as it is; do not unzip it.
- Restart. Use the panel's restart control and let the startup finish.
- Verify in the console. Read the console while the server starts; a plugin that loads shows up there. You can also run the plugins command in the console to list the plugins that came up. If a plugin is missing from that list or prints an error during startup, go back to step 1 and recheck the version fit.
- Configure. Most plugins write their own folder and config files on first run, usually under
plugins/<plugin name>. Edit the config in the file manager, save, and restart to apply it.
Honest notes
- Folia is special. It splits the world into regions and uses many processor threads at once, which classic plugins were not built for. On Folia, run plugins that explicitly support it; classic plugins can fail there.
- SpongeForge is special too. It bridges two ecosystems: mods and Sponge plugins together, and plugin placement differs from the plugin types above; follow the Sponge documentation for your server type.
- Some plugins want their own port. If one does, the extra port allocation addon covers it at 1.50 per month.
- No one-click tools exist in our panel at launch: upload the jar, restart, check the console. If a plugin manager ever ships, the panel and this page will say so.