This guide will help you decide which server software to choose when starting your own server.

I Care About Preserving Vanilla Mechanics

If your players are technical players, or you just want more vanilla mechanics, you should install the Fabric server software and add optimisation mods .

I Want to Run a Modpack

Usually, you don’t have a choice — most modpacks are built for a specific server software.

If you have a choice, you should always choose to run a Fabric server over a Forge server.

I Want Lots of Ready-Made Admin Tools

You should use a server software with support for Bukkit plugins. The most popular choice is PaperMC .

Paper has thousands of community-made plugins that make managing your Minecraft server much easier.

I Want the Most Optimised Software for Small–Medium Player Counts

Take a look at Purpur . It’s a drop-in replacement for Paper and adds lots of optimisation options.

You could also try LeafMC, though it will be less stable and may break some game mechanics.

I Run a Very Large Server Where Players Are Spread Out

You could try Folia . It multithreads the game by splitting the world into regions which run in parallel.

Be prepared to code custom plugins if you use Folia — plugin support is much more limited compared to Paper or Purpur.

Summary