A short, maintained starter set of plugins for a new Paper server: LuckPerms, CoreProtect, GriefPrevention, EssentialsX, spark, Chunky, Geyser and ViaVersion.
A fresh Paper server is fast and stable, but it has no land claims, no way to undo grief, no /home and no permission system beyond op. Plugins fill those gaps.
The trick is to install a small set of well-maintained plugins instead of fifty random ones. In this guide, we will cover a starter set grouped by what you need: permissions, grief protection and rollback, everyday commands, performance profiling, world pre-generation, cross-play and version support. For each one, you will see what it does, why you want it, where to get it and one tip.
By the end of this guide, you will know which plugins to install on day one and which ones you can skip.
Before You Install Anything
- Plugins need a plugin server: Paper, Spigot or a Paper fork like Purpur. Vanilla, Fabric and Forge servers can't load them. See Vanilla, Paper, Fabric or Forge: Which Should You Choose?
- Download from Modrinth, Hangar or the plugin's own site. Avoid re-upload sites, which can serve old or modified jars.
- Check the supported versions on the plugin page before you update Minecraft. An outdated plugin can fail to load or break after an update.
- Put the jar in
plugins/and restart the server. Don't use/reload.
The full process is in How to Install Plugins on a Minecraft Server.
Permissions: LuckPerms
What it does: decides which players can use which commands, using groups like default, mod and admin.
Why you want it: without it, your only tool is op, which gives far too much. With it, a moderator can kick and mute without being able to stop the server.
Where to get it: Modrinth or luckperms.net. It also has versions for Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Velocity.
Tip: run lp editor to manage groups in your browser instead of typing long commands. Our Whitelist, Ops and Permissions guide has a starter group setup.
Grief Protection and Rollback
You want two things here: a way to stop grief before it happens, and a way to undo it when it does.
CoreProtect: logging and rollback
What it does: logs block changes, container access and more, so you can see who did what and roll it back.
Why you want it: when someone burns down a base, you can undo exactly that player's damage instead of restoring the whole world from a backup.
Where to get it: Modrinth or coreprotect.net.
Tip: type /co inspect (or /co i) and click a block to see its history. To undo a player's last two hours within 20 blocks of you:
/co rollback u:Steve t:2h r:20If you rolled back the wrong thing, /co undo reverts it. Source: CoreProtect commands.
GriefPrevention: land claims
What it does: lets players protect their own land. New players get an automatic claim around their first chest, and further claims are made with a golden shovel.
Why you want it: players protect themselves, so you aren't on call every time someone's house gets raided. Claim blocks grow with time played, so new accounts can't claim half the map.
Where to get it: Modrinth. It supports Spigot, Paper and Purpur.
Tip: tell players about /trust Name (build access) and /containertrust Name (chests, other containers and animals) on day one. Most "my friend can't open my chest" questions are answered by those two commands. Source: GriefPrevention commands.
Want admin-made protected areas like a spawn town instead? That's WorldGuard (it needs WorldEdit). Many servers run both.
Everyday Commands: EssentialsX
What it does: adds the commands players expect: /home, /sethome, /tpa, /back, /warp, /msg, kits, mutes and more.
Why you want it: it covers dozens of small features in one maintained project, instead of ten separate plugins.
Where to get it: Modrinth or essentialsx.net. It comes as modules: the core EssentialsX jar plus optional ones like EssentialsX Spawn (/spawn) and EssentialsX Chat.
Tip: install only the modules you need. To show LuckPerms group prefixes in chat, EssentialsX also needs Vault (source). EssentialsX does not support Folia.
Performance and Profiling: spark
What it does: shows your TPS, CPU and memory, and records a profile of what the server spends its time on.
Why you want it: when the server lags, spark tells you whether it is a farm, a plugin or chunk loading, instead of guessing.
Where to get it: on Paper you already have it. spark has been built into Paper since 1.21 (source). For Fabric, Forge and NeoForge, get it from Modrinth.
Tip: start a profile while the lag is happening, not after:
/spark tps
/spark health
/spark profiler start --timeout 600After 10 minutes you get a link to the report. Our server lag guide explains how to read it.
World Pre-Generation: Chunky
What it does: generates your world ahead of time, up to the radius you choose.
Why you want it: generating new chunks while players explore is one of the heaviest jobs a server does. Doing it before launch means the server only loads saved chunks later.
Where to get it: Modrinth or Hangar. It also runs on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge.
Tip: set a world border first so players can't walk past the area you generated. The full walkthrough is in How to Pre-Generate Your Minecraft World with Chunky.
Cross-Play: Geyser and Floodgate
What it does: Geyser lets Bedrock players (phones, consoles, Windows) join your Java server. Floodgate lets them join without owning a Java account.
Why you want it: half your friends might be on Bedrock. With Geyser, everyone plays on the same server.
Where to get it: geysermc.org or Modrinth. It runs on Paper, Velocity, BungeeCord, Fabric and NeoForge.
Tip: Bedrock players connect on a separate port, 19132 by default, and since Bedrock's 2026 switch to NetherNet that port needs both TCP and UDP open (source). Read How to Let Bedrock Players Join Your Java Server for the full setup.
Version Support: ViaVersion
What it does: lets players on newer Minecraft versions join your server. Add ViaBackwards to let older versions join too (source).
Why you want it: players update their game at different speeds. ViaVersion stops "outdated server" errors while you wait for your plugins to support the new release.
Where to get it: Modrinth or Hangar. The main jar runs on Paper and Velocity.
Tip: players on newer clients only get what your server version has. New blocks and mobs arrive when you update the server itself.
Summary Table
| Need | Plugin | Runs on |
|---|---|---|
| Permissions | LuckPerms | Paper, Spigot, Folia, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, Velocity |
| Logging and rollback | CoreProtect | Paper, Spigot, Folia |
| Land claims | GriefPrevention | Paper, Spigot, Purpur |
| Everyday commands | EssentialsX | Paper, Spigot (not Folia) |
| Profiling | spark | Built into Paper; Fabric, Forge, NeoForge |
| Pre-generation | Chunky | Paper, Spigot, Folia, Fabric, Forge, NeoForge |
| Bedrock players | Geyser + Floodgate | Paper, Velocity, BungeeCord, Fabric, NeoForge |
| Version support | ViaVersion (+ ViaBackwards) | Paper, Velocity |
Platforms are taken from each project's Modrinth page and docs.
Note: At the time of writing (November 2026, Minecraft 26.3), LuckPerms, Chunky, GriefPrevention, Geyser and ViaVersion list 26.3. EssentialsX's latest stable release (2.22.0) lists up to 26.1.2, with 26.2 and 26.3 support in its dev builds. CoreProtect's latest Community Edition (v24.1) lists up to 26.2. Check each page again before you update.
Installing Them on EternalZero
On EternalZero, open your server's Mods and Plugins page, search for the plugin and install it from Modrinth or CurseForge. Then restart the server so it loads.
Wrapping Up
For a new survival server, start with LuckPerms, CoreProtect, a claims plugin and EssentialsX. spark is already there on Paper. Add Chunky before launch, Geyser if Bedrock friends want in, and ViaVersion when a new Minecraft release lands.
Add more plugins only when players actually ask for something. A short plugin list is easier to update, easier to debug and easier to back up.