A Minecraft SMP needs plugins that each own one job: ranks, commands, logs, claims, Discord, and a profiler. Paper is the software these jars target. Grab every file from the project’s own site, Hangar, or Modrinth. Read the version line on the download before you drop it in plugins.
| Job | Plugin | Official download | Notes for September 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranks | LuckPerms | luckperms.net/download | Web editor, MySQL/SQLite; install this first |
| Commands, homes, kits | EssentialsX | essentialsx.net/downloads.html · Hangar 2.22.0 | Paper is the supported software. 2.22.0 (31 May 2026) develops against Minecraft 26.1.2. The download page tells you to wait for a Folia-ready build |
| Block log / rollback | CoreProtect | coreprotect.net/latest | Community Edition 24.0 (7 July 2026) covers modern Paper. GitHub lists Bukkit, Spigot, Paper, Folia, MultiPaper. Docs: docs.coreprotect.net |
| Player claims | GriefPrevention | Modrinth | Golden-shovel claims. 16.18.6 targeted 1.21.10-1.21.11 (Feb 2026). Pick the file that names your Paper build |
| Spawn regions | WorldGuard | Modrinth | Flags for PvP, mobs, and build at spawn |
| Terraforming | WorldEdit | Modrinth | Staff //copy and schematics. Same EngineHub family as WorldGuard |
| Discord chat | DiscordSRV | Modrinth · Spigot 18494 | Two-way chat, account link, role sync. Wiki on GitHub |
| Lag diagnosis | spark | Modrinth | Profiler, heap summary, health report. Paper and Folia |
| World pregen | Chunky | Modrinth | Fill the world border once so new chunks stay cheap |
| Economy API | Vault | Spigot 34315 | Sit this under EssentialsX economy and shop plugins |
| Chat / TAB placeholders | PlaceholderAPI | Spigot | Add it after a plugin asks for %placeholders% |
Install order on a fresh box: LuckPerms, Vault (if shops are in the plan), CoreProtect, spark, EssentialsX, then claims or WorldGuard. Boot after each jar. Soft-open on a whitelist for a weekend. Aikar’s flags belong in the JVM line from day one.
Ranks: LuckPerms
LuckPerms is the permissions database for the server. You make groups such as member and admin, attach nodes, and edit the tree in a browser.
Contexts let a node apply in one world or one region. Storage can be SQLite for a friends world or MySQL when you run a network. Pair chat prefixes with Vault plus a chat formatter.
Download: https://luckperms.net/download
Docs: https://luckperms.net/wiki/Home
Create the groups before you announce the IP. A public SMP with everyone as op will grief itself by Tuesday.
Commands: EssentialsX
EssentialsX is the command suite players expect: /home, /tpa, /warp, /kit, /msg, nicks, and a built-in economy. Add-ons ship as separate jars (Chat, Spawn, Protect, Discord, GeoIP).
Hangar 2.22.0 added Copper Age / Mounts of Mayhem items for Paper 26.1.2. It lists 1.21.11 as a supported older line. The project writes for Paper. The downloads page warns that Folia userdata is unsafe on current jars.
Wire LuckPerms first so /home and /tpa land on the member group. Staff get /vanish. Kits stay on the ranks you intend.
Download: essentialsx.net/downloads.html
Commands: essinfo.xeya.me/commands.html
Logs: CoreProtect
CoreProtect writes every break, place, and chest open. Staff run an inspect stick, look up a radius, and roll a grief back.
GitHub describes DuckDB as the default store, with ClickHouse, SQLite, and MySQL as options. Community Edition 24.0 (7 July 2026) is the current public line for modern Paper. A Fabric edition lives at coreprotect.net/fabric.
Turn this on before the first stranger joins. Claims cut ticket volume. CoreProtect closes grief cases that reach staff.
Download: coreprotect.net/latest
Docs: docs.coreprotect.net
Claims: GriefPrevention
GriefPrevention lets players claim land with a golden shovel and trust friends by name. That is the low-staff path for a public survival world. Claim blocks accrue with playtime.
Modrinth is the official file source. Version 16.18.6 (2 February 2026) listed Paper/Purpur/Spigot 1.21.10-1.21.11. If you are on 26.x, open the versions tab and take the build that names your game version. docs.griefprevention.com is the wiki.
Town-and-nation politics belong to Towny. See the server ideas post if that is the fantasy.
Spawn: WorldGuard and WorldEdit
WorldGuard protects spawn, the shopping district, and event arenas with regions and flags. WorldEdit is the staff brush for terraforming those spaces.
Get WorldEdit on Modrinth and WorldGuard on Modrinth. EngineHub also hosts the WorldEdit and WorldGuard sites. Commands live in those docs.
Give WorldEdit to the builder rank you create. Players place blocks by hand inside their claim.
Discord: DiscordSRV
DiscordSRV mirrors in-game chat to a channel, links accounts, and can sync LuckPerms groups to Discord roles. Console relay and /discord linking keep staff in one window.
Download: Modrinth or Spigot
Wiki: github.com/DiscordSRV/DiscordSRV/wiki
Create the bot on the Discord developer portal, paste the token, and restrict console commands to a staff role. Community habits and moderation procedure sit beside the bridge.
Profiler: spark
spark records CPU time, memory, and a health report you can send to another admin. When the server feels sticky, /spark profiler tells you which plugin or chunk is guilty.
Download: modrinth.com/plugin/spark
Viewer: spark.lucko.me
Leave it installed. You will use it the first Saturday night.
Pregen: Chunky
Chunky walks the world border and generates chunks when the server is empty. New players then walk into terrain that already exists, which keeps TPS steady on launch weekend.
Download: modrinth.com/plugin/chunky
Set world-border first. Pregenerate that radius. Stop the task before you open the gates.
Glue: Vault and PlaceholderAPI
Vault is the economy/permissions API other plugins talk to. EssentialsX economy plus a chest shop needs it.
PlaceholderAPI fills %player_name% and skill stats in TAB, holograms, and chat. Install it when a plugin’s config contains % placeholders.
Vault: Spigot 34315
PlaceholderAPI: Spigot 6245
Optional flavor
Web map. BlueMap for a 3D browser view, squaremap or Pl3xMap for a light 2D map. Full comparison: Dynmap vs BlueMap vs squaremap vs Pl3xMap.
RPG skills. mcMMO adds mining/woodcutting trees and party leaderboards. Premium Spigot jar or the project’s own builds; confirm the file for 26.x on the site you trust.
Cross-play. Geyser plus Floodgate if Bedrock clients should join this Java world. Read Java vs Bedrock hosting first, because the permission and form-ui work is extra ops.
RAM. Plugin count and view-distance drive memory. Use How much RAM for a Minecraft server as a starting range, then prove it with spark.
A stack you can type in
LuckPerms
EssentialsX + EssentialsX Spawn
CoreProtect
GriefPrevention
WorldGuard
WorldEdit
spark
Chunky
DiscordSRV
Vault
That list runs a public Java SMP. Add a web map, shops, or mcMMO after the first week of tickets looks boring.
Minecraft hosting with NVMe and a second port (for a map) is enough iron for this set. The Minecraft intro covers the Paper install.
FAQ
What order should I install these?
LuckPerms, then Vault if you want an economy, then CoreProtect and spark, then EssentialsX, then GriefPrevention or WorldGuard. Restart after each critical jar so a bad file shows up alone in the log.
Will this run on Folia?
spark and CoreProtect advertise Folia on their project pages. LuckPerms ships from luckperms.net/download for multiple platforms; confirm Folia on the file you grab. EssentialsX’s own download page asks you to wait for a Folia build; current 2.22.0 is a Paper plugin. GriefPrevention and DiscordSRV need a Folia-tagged file if you go that route. Paper is the path this article writes for.
Where should I download jars?
The URLs in the table. Hangar and Modrinth are the clean indexes. GitHub Releases from the same org is fine.