papermc/paper

★ 12,251JavaAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5Setup · moderate

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((paper))
    What it does
      High-performance server
      Bug and inconsistency fixes
      Plugin support
    For Server Admins
      Download Paperclip jar
      Run like vanilla server
      Docs at docs.papermc.io
    For Plugin Devs
      Paper API
      Gradle dependency
      Maven dependency
    Building from Source
      Requires JDK
      Uses Gradle
      Apply patches first
    Funding
      Open Collective
      GitHub Sponsors

mindmap root((paper)) What it does High-performance server Bug and inconsistency fixes Plugin support For Server Admins Download Paperclip jar Run like vanilla server Docs at docs.papermc.io For Plugin Devs Paper API Gradle dependency Maven dependency Building from Source Requires JDK Uses Gradle Apply patches first Funding Open Collective GitHub Sponsors

Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Things people build with this

USE CASE 1

Run a high-performance Minecraft server with plugin support instead of the official server software.

USE CASE 2

Build a Minecraft server plugin using the Paper API with Gradle or Maven as your build tool.

USE CASE 3

Compile Paper from source to apply custom patches or contribute fixes to the project.

Tech stack

JavaGradleMaven

Getting it running

Difficulty · moderate Time to first run · 30min

Building from source requires a recent Java Development Kit, running the server only needs the downloaded Paperclip jar.

In plain English

Paper is a Minecraft server software, described as the most widely used high-performance option available. Minecraft has an official server program from its developer, but many server operators use third-party replacements that offer better performance, more configuration options, and plugin support. Paper is one such replacement, and it is particularly focused on speed and fixing inconsistencies in how the game behaves. For server administrators, using Paper is straightforward: download a single file called Paperclip from the project's downloads page and run it the same way you would run any other server. Documentation for setting up and configuring the server lives at docs.papermc.io, and community support is available through the project's forums and Discord server. For developers who build Minecraft plugins, Paper exposes an API that plugins can connect to. The README includes code snippets showing how to add Paper as a dependency in two common Java build systems (Gradle and Maven), which are tools that Java developers use to manage libraries and compile projects. An online reference for the API (called Javadocs) is available at papermc.io/javadocs. For developers who want to compile Paper from its source code directly, the project requires a recent version of the Java Development Kit and uses a build tool called Gradle. The README walks through the steps: clone the repository, apply patches, and run the build command. The project is funded through Open Collective and GitHub Sponsors, and the README notes that all donation records are publicly visible. Two companies, YourKit and JetBrains, provide the project with free licenses to their developer tools. Older versions of Paper for Minecraft 1.21.3 and below are maintained in a separate archive repository.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

Add Paper as a Gradle dependency and write a basic Minecraft plugin that sends a welcome message to players on join.

Prompt 2

How do I add Paper as a Maven dependency and register a simple event listener plugin?

Prompt 3

Walk me through compiling Paper from source on a Linux machine using the Java Development Kit and Gradle.

Prompt 4

What is the difference between Paper and the official Minecraft server, and how do I migrate an existing server to Paper?

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

← papermc on gitmyhub — every repo by this author, as a profile.

Verify against the repo before relying on details.