Minecraft plugins vs mods: which to run

Plugins and mods both add things to a Minecraft server, but they are different kinds of file, run on different server software and ask different things of your players. You pick one by choosing the server software, so it is worth deciding early, although you can change software later.

What a plugin is

A plugin is a .jar file the server loads from its plugins folder at startup. Plugins run on server software built for them, which on Play Your Way means Paper, Purpur or, where it is switched on, Folia. They extend what the server does: permissions, land claims, homes, mini-games, new game modes. Paper's own documentation says they can range from small tweaks to entirely new game modes or items.

Because the server does the work, players join with an ordinary copy of Minecraft and install nothing.

On the panel, a plugin server shows a Plugins tab under Content in the left rail. It searches Modrinth, CurseForge and Hangar, Paper's plugin repository. Installing is covered in Install Minecraft plugins on Paper or Purpur.

What a mod is

A mod is a .jar file loaded by a mod loader, which is its own kind of server software: Fabric, Forge, NeoForge or, where it is switched on, Quilt. Mods go in the mods folder and can change the game itself. NeoForge's and Fabric's developer documentation, for example, show how a mod registers brand new blocks.

Your players also need the same mod loader and, mostly, the same mods on their own computers. The Mods tab marks a mod that only works on the player's side with a disabled Client only button, and its Export for players button zips up the mods your players need, leaving server-only mods out. Fabric mods usually need Fabric API installed beside them.

On the panel, a mod server shows a Mods tab in the same place, with the same Modrinth and CurseForge search. Hangar is greyed out, because it only holds Paper plugins. Steps are in Can Fabric mods run on Forge? We tested it, and a full modpack goes in through the Modpacks tab.

Side by side

You cannot run both on one server

Each server runs one piece of server software. Paper loads plugins from plugins, and the mod loaders load mods from mods. The JAR Manager lists no software that runs both. When we tested Fabric mods on a Forge server, it started normally and said nothing about them, and they were simply not loaded.

If you start on one and change your mind, open JAR Manager under More, pick the other software and press Apply change. The world is kept, but configuration files may be reset, and the panel offers a backup first. Add-ons that cannot run on the new software are listed, and you can tick the box that disables them rather than deleting them. See Change your Minecraft version or mod loader.

How to choose

• Pick plugins if you want a survival or community server that looks like normal Minecraft, with permissions, claims and commands, and you want friends to join without installing anything.
• Pick mods or a modpack if the point is new content: machines, magic, new dimensions, extra mobs. Players will mostly need to match the mod list.
• Not sure? Start with Paper. Many modpack features have plugin equivalents, which Get modpack features with Paper plugins walks through, and Best Minecraft plugins for a Paper server lists the ones most servers start with.