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Install plugins on a Paper or Purpur Minecraft server

Add server-side plugins through the CloudExa file manager. Check the plugin's release page for your Minecraft version, server software, Java requirement and dependencies before downloading it.

Choose the right download

Paper and Purpur run compatible server plugins. A Fabric, Forge or NeoForge mod is a different kind of file and does not become a plugin when you place it in the plugins folder. Some projects publish separate builds for Paper, Velocity and other platforms. Select the build for your game server.

Download from the developer's official site or project listing. Plugin code can read and change your server files, so avoid cracked downloads or files sent by strangers. Keep licence information and a copy of the version you replace if you may need to roll back.

Install the plugin

  1. Open your server at game.cloudexa-hosting.com and create a backup.
  2. Stop the server through Console and wait for the shutdown to finish.
  3. Open File Manager, then the plugins folder. If the folder does not exist, confirm the server uses Paper or Purpur before creating it.
  4. Choose Upload and upload the plugin's .jar file. If its author supplies a ZIP, extract it on your computer and follow the author's instructions for which JAR to install.
  5. Install required dependencies in the same way. When updating, move the old version out of the active plugins folder so that you do not load two versions.
  6. Start the server and read its startup log. In the console, run plugins without a leading slash to check the plugin list.

Configure and test it

Many plugins create a folder inside plugins on their first start. Read the author's configuration guide before editing it. Keep YAML indentation and avoid pasting tabs into YAML files. Restart after changes unless the author documents a specific safe reload command.

Use a normal player account to check permissions as well as an administrator account. A plugin can load while its database connection or permissions still need attention. Test the feature you installed it for before changing another plugin.

If it fails to load

  • Missing dependency: install the named dependency from its official source.
  • Unsupported API or Java version: compare the plugin release requirements with the version in your startup log. Ask support before changing the server runtime.
  • Database timeout: check the database host, port, credentials and allowed connections. Keep passwords out of public screenshots.
  • Server stops after installation: stop it, move the new JAR outside plugins, and compare the next startup with your previous working setup. Preserve the log.

Send support the plugin name, download source, version and relevant log lines. Do not use Minecraft's general /reload command as a substitute for a restart.

Further reference: Paper's plugin installation guide.