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Minecraft guide

How to add plugins and mods to a Minecraft Java server

Plugins and mods need different server software: Paper runs plugins, and Fabric, NeoForge and Forge run mods. Choose the one that suits what you want to add, then upload the files. Here's how it works on a Warp Hosting Minecraft Java server.

Updated 2 November 2026
Minecraft screenshot

Choose your server software

  • Paper runs plugins. They work on the server alone, so players join with the normal game. Paper is the fast default.
  • Fabric, NeoForge and Forge run mods. Choose the loader your mods are made for: NeoForge for most newer mods, Forge for Forge modpacks (1.20.1 ones too) or Fabric for Fabric mods. Most mods must be on every player's game as well, with the same loader.
  • Vanilla runs Mojang's own server, without plugins or mods.

Datapacks work with all five.

Set the software and version

  1. Open Settings. Select your server in the dashboard and open Settings.
  2. Choose the server software. Under Server software, choose Paper, Fabric, NeoForge, Forge or Vanilla.
  3. Choose the Minecraft version. Mods are made for one Minecraft version, and plugins for a range of them, so pick the one yours need: 1.20.1, 1.20.6, 1.21.1, 1.21.4, 1.21.8, 1.21.10, 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2 or 26.3. Latest moves to each new release at the next restart; with NeoForge or Forge it's the newest version that loader has a stable build for.
  4. Save and restart. Press Save configuration and restart the server. The first start on NeoForge or Forge installs the loader, once for each version.

A world stays on its software

Your server starts on Paper as soon as it's ready, and makes its world then. A world Paper has run stays on Paper, and one NeoForge or Forge has run stays on that loader: the server won't open it with other software, and says why. A Vanilla world can move to any of them.

To change software anyway, start a new world: stop the server, choose the new software, then delete saves/world in Files & SFTP (Delete folder in its menu, then click again). The next start makes a new world from the seed and world type in Settings. To keep a copy of the old world, download a backup from Backups first.

Where plugins and mods go

  • Paper plugins (.jar files) go in plugins/. Each plugin keeps its settings in its own folder there, such as plugins/<plugin name>/config.yml.
  • Fabric, NeoForge and Forge mods (.jar files) go in mods/, and their settings files in config/minecraft/.
  • Datapacks go in datapacks/. The server copies them into the world at every start.
  • The operator and whitelist files (ops.json and whitelist.json), bukkit.yml and spigot.yml are in config/, and Paper's paper-global.yml is in config/minecraft/.

Open the folder in Files & SFTP and press Upload, or use SFTP for big files and whole folders, up to 2 GB a file. Every file passes a safety scan before your server gets it, and new files load at the next start.

Change settings files in the browser

Text files, such as a plugin's config.yml or a mod's .toml file, open in the Files tab's editor: choose Edit in the file's menu, make your change and press Save. Minecraft colour codes such as &a show in their colours, and saved changes apply when the server next starts.

The Settings page writes server.properties, so change those settings there. Over SFTP, the current-files folder is a read-only copy of the server's files from its last backup: download a file from it, change it and upload it to the same place.

Java 25 and the mod loaders

Servers run Java 25. NeoForge starts at Minecraft 1.20.2, so choose Forge for 1.20.1. On Java 25, NeoForge can't run 1.21.4 or 1.21.8, and Forge can't run 1.21.4, 1.21.8 or 1.21.10: the dashboard says so and names the versions that work. Paper, Fabric and Vanilla run every version offered.

Minecraft questions

Good to know.

Can one server run plugins and mods?

Not together. Paper runs plugins, and Fabric, NeoForge and Forge run mods, so choose the software your additions are made for.

Do players need to install the plugins?

No. Plugins run on the server, so players join with the normal game. Most mods are different: players need the same mods and loader on their own game.

Why was my plugin or mod blocked?

Every .jar passes a safety scan, and a blocked file shows the reason in Files & SFTP. A jar that isn't a recognised Minecraft plugin or mod is refused, and so is one that carries native code, such as .so or .dll files.

Can I move a world from Paper to Fabric or Forge?

No: a world Paper has run stays on Paper. To switch software, start a new world: delete saves/world in Files & SFTP, and the next start makes one on the new software.