June 26, 2026

Paper, Purpur, Fabric or Forge — which to choose?

When you set up a Minecraft server, you first pick the “software”. The choice depends on whether you want plugins or mods — those are two different things.

Paper and Purpur — for plugins

Paper is the industry standard: fast, stable and compatible with tens of thousands of plugins (Spigot/Bukkit). Purpur goes a step further with extra fine-tuning options. Choose them if you want economy, land protection, minigames and the like — without mods.

Fabric and Forge — for mods

Forge is the classic for heavy modpacks and older versions. Fabric is more modern, lighter and faster, ideal for optimization mods (e.g. Sodium) and newer versions. Plugins don’t work here — mods must be present both on the server and on the player’s side.

So which version?

The rule is simple: if you want plugins, go with Paper/Purpur. If you want mods and modpacks, choose Fabric or Forge depending on what the modpack requires. With us, you set up all four options in a few clicks through the panel.