One of the most exciting things about the Minecraft server is the ability to optimize it past what Vanilla Minecraft can offer. Plugins are one of the best tools to accomplish this. Plugins do not need to be installed only on the server. Mods must be installed on both Minecraft client and server.

How do you install plugins automatically

Start setting up your server. Make sure you choose Minecraft Java Edition. Once that's done, click the Manage button for your Minecraft instance.

Choose Configuration

Choose Server settings. If you choose Server type, you will be able select from a range of custom-made server types.

You can install plugins by choosing one of these options:

Server Type

Modified vanilla Minecraft server, with the Bukkit API. Bukkit API is what Bukkit plugins use for interaction with the server

Spigot

Modified Minecraft server using CraftBukkit, which offers additional performance optimizations, configuration options and features while remaining compatible with all plugins and consistent to Vanilla Minecraft game mechanics

PaperMC*

Spigot Minecraft Server High Performance Fork. It aims to fix inconsistencies in gameplay and mechanics as well as improve performance. The paper includes many features, bug fixes as well as exploit preventions. It also contains major performance improvements that are not found in Spigot.

* Recommended for users who wish to get the best performance out of their current plan, without sacrificing server features and functionality

After you have chosen your preferred server type, click the Download / Upd button. The download will begin:

Once the download is complete, your server will be ready for plugin installation. Navigate back to your Instance section and select Plugins:

Now, select a plugin and click Install.

If you are unsure about the plugin or need more information, please click on the discussion button:

Once the plugins are installed, you will need to start your server to load them along with their configuration:

How do you manually install plugins

If you don't find your preferred plugin in the list, you can always install it manually.

You will first need to download the plugin from their official site. It should be in.jar format. Once that's done, open File Manager:

Find plugins folder and open it by double-clicking:

And lastly, use the drag-drop method to upload the plugin from your computer to the server instance. Make sure you upload the plugin to the Plugins directory. Once uploading is done, restart your server

It is worth noting that plugins are installed in the same way regardless of how you do it.

How do I check if plugins work?

After restarting your server open your Server console

Write plugins:

This will display a listing of plugins currently running on your machine. :

This command can also be used while logged on to the server. However you should add a slash to the command while in-game. It should look like this: /plugins

Recommended plugins

AuthMeReloaded - This plugin is only needed when playing on Offline mode and it prevents username stealing in your server.

ViaVersion - Allows users with older versions of Minecraft to join your server.

WorldEdit – The WorldEdit plug-in has been widely used over the past 10 years. It is critical for creating large projects and saving time.
Minecraft servers

AntiCheatReloaded – Helps server administrators combat spambots and hacked clients. It can detect malicious gameplay and analyze the behavior of players.