Every fact and version number below was checked against the linked sources on 2026-10-01. "Plugin" here means server-side add-ons that the Bukkit family of server software loads; "mod" means a Fabric or Forge mod that changes the game itself.
The short answer
| Software | What it is | Plugins | Mods | How you get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | Mojang's own server software for Java Edition | No | No | Free download from the Minecraft site |
| Paper | Independent server software; a drop-in replacement for CraftBukkit and Spigot | Yes | No | Runnable jar from PaperMC's downloads page |
| Spigot | Plugin server from the CraftBukkit line | Yes | No | You compile it yourself with SpigotMC's BuildTools |
| Purpur | A fork of Paper with extra configuration options | Yes | No | Runnable jar from purpurmc.org |
| Fabric | A mod loader, not a plugin server | No | Yes | Server launcher from fabricmc.net |
| Forge | A modding API and mod loader, not a plugin server | No | Yes | Installer from files.minecraftforge.net |
The distinction that decides all of this: plugins are add-ons the server loads, and only the Bukkit family of server software (CraftBukkit, Spigot, Paper, Purpur) loads them; mods change the game itself and need a mod loader (Fabric or Forge) on the server, with matching mods on every player's copy of the game. PaperMC state the boundary plainly in their plugin guide: a file that is "a mod for Forge, Fabric, or similar" is not a plugin, and "These will not run on Paper."
Where we sit, said plainly: ForgeWorld Gaming Minecraft plans run Paper or Vanilla. If you specifically want Spigot, Purpur, Fabric or Forge, that is software you run yourself on your own hardware or with a provider that offers it - none of our current Minecraft plans run it.
Vanilla: the official server software
The Minecraft Wiki describes it as "the default server software (server.jar in Java Edition and BDS in Bedrock Edition)", which "provides a stable environment for players to play a multiplayer game", and notes it "is provided free of charge by Mojang Studios" for Windows, macOS and Linux. Mojang's own server download page hosts the jar, states that "This server setup is only compatible with Minecraft: Java Edition", and asks you to open TCP port 25565 for it.
Two things it does not do: load plugins, and load mods. The Wiki's Server page notes that features "outside the vanilla experience" come from servers using "modded server software" - that is, other software entirely. Vanilla is the right pick when you want the game exactly as Mojang ship it, with no add-ons and no surprises.
Paper: plugins on a faster core
PaperMC's documentation introduces Paper as "a Minecraft: Java Edition game server" "designed to greatly improve performance and offer more advanced features and API". It keeps vanilla gameplay and adds the plugin system. On switching, PaperMC say "Paper is a drop-in replacement for both CraftBukkit and Spigot, you don't need to make any changes", and of moving a Vanilla world over they say the conversion is handled for you, with "No additional consideration is required."
Plugins themselves are the point for most people: "Plugins are the most powerful way to extend the functionality of Paper beyond the configuration files" - whitelist helpers, world protection, minigames, administration tools. Installing one is a download and a restart: PaperMC say "The best place to find plugins is Hangar, Paper's plugin repository, but you can also find plugins on Modrinth or BukkitDev", then drop the jar into the plugins folder at the root of the server and restart. Their warning is worth keeping: "Plugins are given full and unrestricted access to not only your server but also the machine that it runs on", so only install plugins from sources you trust.
What Paper will not do is run mods. PaperMC's troubleshooting names the exact failure: "The plugin you downloaded isn't a plugin at all, but instead a mod for Forge, Fabric, or similar." "These will not run on Paper." That is not a Paper limitation to work around; it is the difference between a plugin server and a mod loader.
Spigot: the plugin server you build yourself
Spigot sits on the CraftBukkit line, and there is a reason you cannot just grab its jar. SpigotMC's BuildTools page explains: "BuildTools is our solution to building CraftBukkit, Spigot and the Spigot-API", "a standalone program that is primarily used to compile the Spigot Server JAR". It "works by downloading the Vanilla Minecraft Server Jar, Bukkit, CraftBukkit, and Spigot", then "decompiles the vanilla server jar, injects CraftBukkit code, applies the Spigot patches" and produces a working Spigot jar - "All of which is done on your computer!", with Git and Java required. Asked "Why is there no direct download for Spigot?", the answer is "The DMCA Takedown Request filed in 2014 is the reason behind this", and "BuildTools is our legal workaround to this problem." The builds are "for private use only" and may not be distributed publicly.
For you, that means two things. First, Spigot runs the same Bukkit-family plugins as Paper does - Purpur's own FAQ asks "Do CraftBukkit/Spigot/Paper plugins work on Purpur?" and answers "Yes", treating the three as one plugin family. Second, if you want Spigot specifically, someone has to run BuildTools to produce the jar: you, or a host that offers Spigot as a software choice. Our Minecraft plans are Paper or Vanilla rather than Spigot, and Paper is where PaperMC's performance and feature work lands first.
Purpur: Paper plus a file of extra switches
Purpur's documentation describes it as "a fork of Paper with the goal of providing new and interesting configuration options, which allow for creating a unique gameplay experience not seen anywhere else." Its installation page says "Since Purpur is a drop-in replacement for Paper (with no changes required)", it installs exactly the way Paper does, and its downloads page serves the jar.
Its FAQ answers the two questions that matter here. Does Purpur keep everything Paper has? "Yes, that's how forks work. All features from upstream are inherited by design." Do plugins written for the family work? "Yes." What Purpur changes is opt-in: "none of it goes into effect unless you enable it in purpur.yml", so a Purpur server with an untouched config behaves like Paper.
Purpur is worth it when you want a switch Paper does not expose - unusual mob or world rules, extra commands, gameplay tweaks - and you are comfortable editing purpur.yml. Like Spigot, it is not one of our Minecraft plans: we run Paper and Vanilla, and Purpur is a jar you run yourself or through a provider that offers it.
What Fabric and Forge need instead
Fabric and Forge are not answers to "which plugin server" - they are mod loaders. The Fabric homepage describes it plainly: "Fabric is a modular, lightweight mod loader for Minecraft", with Fabric API "put into the mods folder like any other mod"; its server page warns that "Most mods will also require you to install Fabric API into the mods folder." MinecraftForge's own documentation calls itself "the official documentation for MinecraftForge, the Minecraft modding API", and its downloads page serves installers per Minecraft version - the newest listed today being for Minecraft 26.3.
So a modded server is a different product from any plugin server: Fabric or Forge software on the server, the same mods on every player's copy of the game - the Minecraft Wiki notes a modded server rejects "a client with an outdated mod" - and no Bukkit-family plugin will load on it. If what you want is a modpack, see our Forge modpack server guide for what that route involves. Our own Minecraft plans are Paper and Vanilla, so a modpack is not something they run.
Which one should you pick?
- Vanilla if you want the game exactly as Mojang ship it and nobody has asked for a plugin. Nothing to configure beyond
server.properties, nothing to break. - Paper if you want any plugin at all - or simply software "designed to greatly improve performance", in PaperMC's words. It is the safe default for a friends server: drop-in for the Spigot plugin family, easy to move to from Vanilla, and the software our Minecraft plans run.
- Spigot only if something specifically needs it. You have to build the jar yourself with BuildTools, and the plugin family it serves is the same one Paper serves.
- Purpur if you want Paper plus a switch Paper does not expose, and you are happy editing
purpur.ymland running the jar yourself. - Fabric or Forge if what you actually want is mods. That is a mod loader, not a plugin server, and it needs matching mods on every player's machine.
One version note before you download anything: the Minecraft Wiki's Java Edition page records the latest release as 26.3, dated September 15, 2026, and PaperMC's pairing table matches Java to the server version - "1.20 to 1.21.11" with Java 21, "26.1+" with Java 25. PaperMC add that "Paper requires at least Java 25 to run", and Mojang's download page likewise requires "a compatible Java Runtime Environment (JRE)" to launch the server jar. A server that refuses to start on a new install is very often this mismatch.
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