PAPER SERVER SETUP
Plan and set up a Minecraft Paper server
A practical Paper server setup checklist covering version choice, backups, plugins, testing, and where MCraft AI fits.
MCraft AI helps plan and prepare Minecraft server projects and files. It is not a hosting provider. When Run Server is enabled and a compatible committed server is available, it can start a disposable test session for up to 30 minutes; this is not a persistent public server. To host players, choose a host or your own machine, follow Paper’s official installation guidance, and test each change in an environment you control.
Choose the exact server version
Start with the Java Edition version your players and plugins require. Confirm that the Paper build, Java runtime, and every required plugin support that exact combination. Check Paper’s current version-to-Java table; the required Java major changes with the Minecraft version. “Works with Minecraft” is too broad a compatibility check.
Download Paper from its official site and follow its current getting-started instructions. Review the Minecraft EULA yourself before accepting it; acceptance is an operator decision, not something MCraft AI should assume.
Choose plugins or mods before server software
Start with the add-on your server needs, then choose compatible server software. For a Paper, Spigot, or Bukkit-targeted plugin, check the exact API, Minecraft version, dependencies, and server versions listed by its maintainer. Paper can load Bukkit plugins as well as Paper plugins, but Paper plugins use Paper’s plugin loader and may have Paper-specific requirements.
For a modded server, choose the required loader—such as Fabric, Forge, or NeoForge—before installing mods. Match each mod to the Minecraft and loader versions, then read its metadata and author instructions for client and server requirements. Some mods are client-only, some are server-side, and others require installation on both; a .jar filename alone does not establish compatibility.
MCraft’s current generated server-plugin workflow is Paper-focused. It does not provide validated packed mod artifacts for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, or Bedrock. Project discussion or static checks do not prove that an add-on builds, loads, or works in Minecraft. Use the target platform’s official setup guidance and test on a disposable matching installation.
Before changing server software, make and verify a restorable world backup. Plugins, mods, and their configuration files are not interchangeable just because a world can be opened by another server implementation; check the relevant migration documentation first.
Prepare configuration and recovery
Decide who can join, who has administrative access, how backups will be taken, and how to restore a world. Keep copies of configuration and world data before changing plugins or upgrading versions. Protect remote management access and keep credentials out of public project files.
Use a separate test server or a copied world for changes. Write down the desired rules, permissions, and plugin behavior so you can review generated configuration against a concrete goal.
Add plugins one at a time
Read each plugin’s platform, version, dependency, and installation requirements. Place a compatible JAR in the plugins directory, restart the server, and check logs for load errors. Verify the feature in-game before adding the next plugin.
MCraft AI can help draft a Paper plugin or server configuration and organize its files. Generated files and static checks do not certify that a server starts, a plugin loads, or players can connect. Use a disposable matching server for those checks.