CraftBukkit vs Spigot vs Paper: what differs
How CraftBukkit, Spigot, Paper and Purpur relate, which plugins run where, and why Paper is the one to pick on our panel.
CraftBukkit, Spigot and Paper are three pieces of server software that all run Bukkit-style plugins, and each one grew out of the one before it. Most people only need to know which to run and whether their plugins will work. On our panel the answer is Paper, or Purpur if you want its extra options, and both run plugins made for CraftBukkit and Spigot.
Checked against Paper 26.3 build 211 and Purpur 26.3 build 2654, October 2026.
How they relate
- Bukkit is the plugin API: the set of commands, events and objects a plugin can use. CraftBukkit is the server software that implements it on top of Mojang's code. Paper's own developer documentation draws that line.
- Spigot builds on CraftBukkit. SpigotMC's BuildTools downloads the vanilla server, Bukkit and CraftBukkit, injects the CraftBukkit code, applies the Spigot patches and produces the Spigot jar on your own computer.
- Paper is, in its own words, a Minecraft game server based on Spigot, designed to improve performance and offer more advanced features and API. It extends the Bukkit and Spigot APIs.
- Purpur is server software based on Paper. Its site says it supports plugins designed for the Bukkit, Spigot and Paper APIs, and focuses on configurability.
What differs for you
Getting the jar. SpigotMC has no direct download for Spigot. Its BuildTools page says a 2014 DMCA takedown request is the reason, and that BuildTools is its legal workaround. Past Minecraft 1.14, BuildTools does not build CraftBukkit unless you add --compile craftbukkit. Paper and Purpur publish ready-made jars.
Configuration. Paper keeps the files you may know from Spigot, bukkit.yml, spigot.yml and commands.yml, and adds config/paper-global.yml and config/paper-world-defaults.yml. Edit bukkit.yml, spigot.yml and Paper config shows where they are on our panel.
Compatibility. Paper's documentation calls it a drop-in replacement for both CraftBukkit and Spigot. There are two limits. A plugin built against Mojang mappings, which Paper's developer documentation prefers for plugins that use server internals, will not run on Spigot servers. And Paper's documentation says plugins re-obfuscated to Spigot's runtime mappings "will not work from Paper 26.1 onwards". Paper also advises against plugins that use Minecraft's internals, because they often break when a new Minecraft version arrives. If a plugin is old and uses internals, read its page for a build for your Minecraft version.
Worlds. Paper's documentation says that as of 26.1, Spigot and CraftBukkit change the way a world is stored enough that moving one to Paper directly is not possible. Convert it to a vanilla layout first. Convert Spigot and Vanilla world folders shows how. It also says Paper does not support moving a Paper world back to Spigot or CraftBukkit.
What this means on our panel
We offer Vanilla, Paper and Purpur (and Fabric, Forge and NeoForge for mods). We do not offer Spigot or CraftBukkit. Paper runs their plugins.
- Open JAR Manager under More and choose Server software.
- Pick Paper, or Purpur for its extra options, and a Minecraft version.
- Press Apply change, keep Take a backup first ticked and hold Confirm & reinstall.
- Install plugins from the Plugins tab, which searches Modrinth, CurseForge and Hangar, Paper's plugin repository. Install Minecraft plugins on Paper or Purpur has the steps.
When a plugin's page says it needs Spigot or Bukkit, that is fine. Choose the file marked for Paper, Spigot or Bukkit and install it on Paper.
Paper and Purpur load plugins but not mods, and Fabric, Forge and NeoForge load mods but not Bukkit plugins on their own. Paper's documentation advises against hybrids that try to do both. Minecraft plugins vs mods: which to run compares the two.
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