Every Minecraft server needs plugins. Without them, you have no homes, no warps, no permissions, no grief protection. Here are the 15 plugins that form the foundation of any server, all free to download.
1. EssentialsX
What it does: Adds /home, /warp, /tpa, /spawn, /nick, /msg, /kit, economy, and about 100 other essential commands.
Why you need it: This is the single most important plugin. Without it, players cannot set homes, teleport to friends, or use basic server commands.
Download: essentialsx.net
2. LuckPerms
What it does: Permission management. Create groups (default, VIP, moderator, admin) and assign permissions to each group. Players inherit permissions from their group.
Why you need it: Without permissions, either everyone has OP or nobody has commands. LuckPerms gives you granular control over who can do what.
Download: luckperms.net
See our LuckPerms setup guide for a complete walkthrough.
3. WorldGuard + WorldEdit
What it does: WorldGuard protects regions (spawn, towns, arenas) from griefing. WorldEdit lets you select areas and edit them (copy, paste, fill, replace).
Why you need it: Without region protection, players can destroy spawn and other important builds.
Download: Search "WorldGuard" and "WorldEdit" on dev.bukkit.org
4. CoreProtect
What it does: Logs every block placement, break, container access, and item movement. Inspect who did what. Roll back griefing damage.
Why you need it: When someone griefs, you need to know who and undo the damage. CoreProtect makes this possible.
Download: Search "CoreProtect" on SpigotMC
5. Vault
What it does: Acts as a bridge between economy plugins, permission plugins, and chat plugins. Most plugins require Vault to communicate with each other.
Why you need it: Without Vault, your economy plugin cannot check permissions and your permission plugin cannot format chat.
Download: Search "Vault" on SpigotMC
6. Spark
What it does: Performance profiler. Shows TPS, memory usage, and which plugins are using the most CPU time. Creates detailed reports you can share.
Why you need it: When the server lags, you need to know why. Spark tells you exactly what is consuming tick time.
Download: spark.lucko.me
7. PlaceholderAPI (PAPI)
What it does: Provides placeholders like %player_name%, %player_health%, %server_online% that other plugins use in messages, scoreboards, and signs.
Why you need it: Most chat, scoreboard, and tab list plugins require PAPI to display dynamic information.
Download: Search "PlaceholderAPI" on SpigotMC
8. Chunky
What it does: Pre-generates terrain in advance so the server does not have to generate it in real time when players explore.
Why you need it: Terrain generation is one of the biggest causes of lag. Pre-generating eliminates it.
Download: Search "Chunky" on SpigotMC or Modrinth
9. DiscordSRV
What it does: Bridges Minecraft chat with Discord. Messages in-game appear in Discord and messages in Discord appear in-game. Also supports console access through Discord.
Why you need it: Most communities use Discord. Bridging chat keeps everyone connected.
Download: discordsrv.com
See our DiscordSRV setup guide for configuration instructions.
10. TAB (Tab List Plugin)
What it does: Customizes the player tab list. Add colors, prefixes, groups, player count, server info, and formatting.
Why you need it: The default tab list is plain white text. A formatted tab list makes the server feel professional.
Download: Search "TAB" by NEZNAMY on SpigotMC
11. GeyserMC + Floodgate
What it does: Lets Bedrock players (Xbox, mobile, Switch, Windows 10) join your Java server. Floodgate handles authentication without needing a Java account.
Why you need it: Doubles your potential player base. Many players use Bedrock and cannot join Java servers without Geyser.
Download: geysermc.org
12. ViaVersion + ViaBackwards
What it does: Lets players on different Minecraft versions connect to your server. A 1.20 player can join a 1.21 server. A 1.21 player can join a 1.20 server.
Why you need it: Not all players update immediately. ViaVersion prevents "outdated client" errors.
Download: Search "ViaVersion" on SpigotMC
13. Graves
What it does: When a player dies, their items go into a grave block at the death location. Items do not despawn.
Why you need it: Losing items on death is the number one frustration for new players. Graves fix this without removing the death penalty entirely.
Download: Search "Graves" on SpigotMC or Modrinth
14. LPC (Login Protection / AuthMe)
What it does: Adds login authentication for offline-mode servers. Players register with a password and must log in each session.
Why you need it: Only if you run an offline-mode server. If online-mode is true (which it should be), you do not need this.
Download: Search "AuthMe Reloaded" on SpigotMC
15. BlueMap
What it does: Renders a 3D web-based map of your world. Players can view the entire server map in their browser.
Why you need it: Players love seeing their builds from above. A web map adds community engagement and makes the server feel alive.
Download: bluemap.bluecolored.de
See our BlueMap storage guide for keeping disk usage controlled.
Installation Order
Install plugins in this order for the cleanest setup:
- Vault (dependency for many plugins)
- LuckPerms (permissions first)
- EssentialsX (core commands)
- WorldGuard + WorldEdit (protection)
- CoreProtect (logging)
- PlaceholderAPI (placeholder system)
- Everything else
Each plugin creates config folders on first startup. Configure core plugins before adding extras.
Plugin Count Guidelines
| Server Type | Recommended Plugin Count | |---|---| | Small friends server | 5-10 | | Medium community server | 10-20 | | Large public server | 15-30 |
Going past 30 plugins increases RAM usage, startup time, and compatibility risk. Every plugin you add should solve a real problem.
Space-Node servers support all of these plugins. Upload JARs through the file manager and restart. Get started here.
