For a plugin server in 2026, the Minecraft server software to run is Paper. As of October 12, 2026, PaperMC's downloads page lists Paper 26.3 build #175 as stable, Paper needs Java 25 from 26.1 onward, and PaperMC describes it as "a drop-in replacement for both CraftBukkit and Spigot." The rest of this page covers when the answer changes: Purpur for more settings, the performance forks, Folia's threading model, and Fabric for mods.
This page covers Java Edition only; Bedrock servers are a separate topic.
Bukkit vs Spigot vs Paper: the family tree
Every plugin server here comes from one lineage. hMod (September 2010) was replaced by Bukkit, announced on January 1, 2011, and CraftBukkit came out of the Bukkit project. CraftBukkit++ was forked as CraftBukkit--, which was rebranded Spigot on January 15, 2013. PaperSpigot was started on June 23, 2014 by gsand and Z750 and later dropped "Spigot" from its name. On December 13, 2024, PaperMC announced a hard fork from Spigot, freeing Paper to change its API and update on its own schedule.
Below Paper sit its own forks: Purpur, Pufferfish, Leaf (which also carries Purpur's patches) and Folia. Fabric isn't on this tree at all. It's a mod loader, not a plugin server. The long version of this story is in our history of Minecraft servers.
Paper vs Spigot
What Paper adds
PaperMC sells Paper as "our Minecraft server software offering unrivaled performance and stability." That's a claim, not a benchmark. The concrete additions are in Paper's docs: its own API layer, including a Brigadier-based Command API, the Component API (Adventure), and Entity, Lifecycle and Data-component APIs. Paper also carries extensive global and per-world configuration of its own.
Are Paper and Spigot compatible?
Mostly, and mostly in one direction. Paper's getting-started docs say that when you migrate from CraftBukkit or Spigot, "you don't need to make any changes." Ordinary Spigot plugins are expected to run on Paper.
The hard exception is internals. As of 26.1, Paper has fully dropped its internal remapper. Obfuscated names are gone and there is no runtime fallback, so a plugin compiled against Spigot mappings will not load. Our Paper plugin best practices covers the migration from the developer side.
The other direction is simpler. A plugin built on Paper's own APIs needs Paper or a Paper fork, because Spigot doesn't have those APIs.
What Spigot still has
Spigot doesn't hand you a jar. SpigotMC's wiki explains that BuildTools "is our solution to building CraftBukkit, Spigot and the Spigot-API," because a 2014 DMCA takedown stops SpigotMC from distributing a direct Spigot download, so you compile the server yourself. The one good reason to stay on Spigot is a plugin you depend on that breaks on Paper because of the remapper change. Ask its author for a Mojang-mapped build first.
Purpur vs Paper
Purpur describes itself plainly: "Purpur is minecraft server software based on Paper. It supports plugins designed for bukkit, spigot and paper APIs. Purpur focuses on providing as much configurability as possible, to allow server owners to customise their server to their liking." The same team publishes PurpurExtras, an add-on plugin for Purpur and Paper servers, and PurpurPacks, a set of datapacks.
Pick Purpur if you keep finding that the behaviour you want to change has no setting in Paper. The trade-off: Purpur is built on Paper, so every Paper update passes through one more project before it reaches you. We didn't verify which Minecraft version Purpur currently supports, so check purpurmc.org before you plan an upgrade around it.
Pufferfish, Leaf and the "performance fork" question
Pufferfish
Pufferfish's GitHub describes it as "a highly optimized Paper fork designed for large servers requiring both maximum performance, stability, and 'enterprise' features." Listed features include Sentry integration, partial async processing, and optimizations inherited from the Airplane fork. Its README's speed figures are the project's own claims; we haven't benchmarked them.
Status caveat: when we checked on October 12, 2026, the repository's visible branch (ver/1.21) tracked Paper's 1.21.10 upstream, its latest commit was dated December 21, 2025, and no 26.x branch was visible. We could not confirm that Pufferfish supports the current 26.x line. Check the repository before you depend on it.
Leaf
Leaf's site says: "Leaf is built on Paper and inherits the full Paper API. Paper plugins work natively on Leaf with no extra effort." It also includes all of Purpur's patches, with some Purpur options moved into Gale's and Leaf's own configuration. On October 12, 2026, its version badge read 26.2 as the latest version, one drop behind Paper's stable 26.3.
Which fork is fastest?
We won't rank them: no independent benchmark backs a ranking. Check that a fork supports your Minecraft version and has recent commits, then test it on a copy of your server with your real plugins.
Folia: regionized multithreading
Folia's documentation describes it this way: "Folia is a fork of Paper which adds regionized multithreading to the dedicated server." Bukkit/Paper plugins are written around a single main thread; Folia's threading model is regional, so those assumptions no longer hold. Only run a plugin on Folia if its author explicitly supports Folia, and read Folia's own documentation first. If your question is "which jar do I run?", the answer isn't Folia.
Fabric vs Paper
Fabric calls itself "a modular, lightweight mod loader for Minecraft." The Loader is "the bare minimum," and the separate Fabric API supplies the extra APIs mods use. Fabric tracks each Java release with its own announcement; as of October 12, 2026, the latest is "Fabric for Minecraft 26.3".
This choice isn't about performance. Paper runs plugins; Fabric runs mods. They're separate ecosystems, so decide what content you want and that decides the software.
Vanilla: when the official jar is enough
If you want a small, unmodified world for a few friends and have no plans for plugins or mods, Mojang's official server jar does the job. Once you want a single plugin, whether that's protection, backups or a permissions tool, you're choosing Paper. Whatever you run, the vanilla settings live in one file, and our server.properties guide goes through it key by key.
Minecraft server software compared
| Project | Fork of | Runs | Best for | Version support (checked Oct 12, 2026) | Java |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper | Spigot (hard fork, Dec 2024) | Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins | Almost every plugin server | 26.3 stable (build #175) | 25 for 26.1+ |
| Spigot | CraftBukkit++ (continued as CraftBukkit--) | Bukkit and Spigot plugins | A plugin that won't run on Paper | Not verified here | Not verified here |
| Purpur | Paper | Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins | Owners who want more settings | Not verified here | Not verified here |
| Pufferfish | Paper | Paper-based; check plugin support | Large servers, by its own description | Not confirmed for 26.x; visible branch tracks 1.21 | Not verified here |
| Leaf | Paper (includes Purpur patches) | Paper plugins | Paper plus Purpur's patches in one jar | 26.2 (its site's latest) | Not verified here |
| Folia | Paper | Only plugins that support Folia | Plugin sets built for regional threading | Not verified here | Not verified here |
| Fabric | None (mod loader) | Fabric mods | Modded servers | 26.3 loader announced | Not verified here |
| Vanilla | None (Mojang's jar) | Neither plugins nor mods | Small unmodified worlds | Current release | Not verified here |
"Not verified here" means we didn't confirm the value from the project's own pages for this guide. Check the project's download page instead of guessing.
Best Minecraft server software by scenario
- Friends SMP, no add-ons: vanilla works. Paper if you think you'll want even one plugin later.
- Friends SMP with plugins: Paper. Our guide to making a Minecraft server covers the setup, from the JDK to the first run.
- Public plugin server: Paper. Choose Purpur instead if you need settings Paper doesn't expose.
- Modded server: Fabric, picked to match the mods you want.
- Large or growing server: start on Paper. There's no verified player count at which a fork becomes necessary. If you're considering one, check its version support and commit activity first. Folia is an option only if every plugin you run supports it.
FAQ
Should I use Paper or Spigot?
Paper: a documented drop-in replacement with its own APIs and configuration, downloadable without BuildTools. The exception is a plugin compiled against Spigot mappings, which won't load on Paper from 26.1 onward.
Is Spigot the same as Paper?
No. Paper began as PaperSpigot, a project built on Spigot, and PaperMC announced a hard fork from Spigot on December 13, 2024. The two share ancestry but are now developed separately.
Are Paper and Spigot compatible?
Spigot plugins generally run on Paper, except ones compiled against Spigot mappings on 26.1 and later. Plugins that use Paper-only APIs don't run on Spigot.
What is PaperMC?
PaperMC is the project behind Paper. Its documentation also covers Folia, the Paper fork that adds regionized multithreading.
Is PaperMC still the best?
For plugin servers, Paper is the default. Purpur, Pufferfish, Leaf and Folia are all built on top of it, and none of them replaces it as a starting point. Whether a fork beats it on your server depends on your plugins, so test rather than trust a ranking.