How to Set Up a Paper Minecraft Server

Last modified on Nov 27, 2023 in Modpacks

By Dalton Whalen

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	Paper 1.14	245	Checkout
	Paper 1.15	393	Checkout
	Paper 1.16	794	Checkout
	Paper 1.17	411	Checkout

Overview

In more recent server versions, it has become increasingly difficult for Minecraft to stay optimized with large amounts of concurrent players. Alongside this, vanilla Minecraft often suffers from basic moderation, as there are limited commands that server staff can have.

Introducing PaperMC, a fork of Spigot that dedicates itself to bringing improved performance and features to servers. PaperMC allows the use of both Bukkit and Spigot plugins, as well as offering a wide selection of configuration options to improve overall gameplay and customization. Here at Apex Hosting, it is very easy to install and set it up, so we will be showing you how to do this today.
 

Panel Installation

1. Navigate to your Apex Server Panel.
2. Scroll down to the JAR File section, then open the dropdown.
   
3. Search for Paper and select the desired Minecraft version.
4. When prompted, select Change Version.
5. It is recommended to create a new world when prompted, then restart.

 
Once the server is online, it should now be running the PaperMC version!
 

Manual Installation

If you decide to install a specific version instead of the latest one, you can install any version of PaperMC as a custom jar.

1. Navigate to the PaperMC website and select the desired version.
2. Rename the downloaded file to custom.jar
3. Navigate to your Apex Server Panel, then stop the server.
4. Scroll down to the JAR File section, then set the version to Custom Server Jar
   
5. Press Change Version, it is recommended to generate a new world when prompted, then restart.
6. Navigate to the FTP File Access on the left, then login.
7. Access the jar folder, press upload in the top-left, then drag + drop the custom.jar file.
   

 
Once at 100% uploaded, you can press the server name at the top to return to the main page, then restart.
 

How to Configure PaperMC

There are several Paper configuration options, so we can only cover limited examples. For a full list, consider visiting the official documentation.
 

Accessing the Configuration

1. Navigate to your Apex Server Panel, then stop the server.
2. Afterward, click FTP File Access at the top left corner and login.
3. While viewing the files, find and enter the config directory from the list.
4. Proceed to press Edit for any of the two main configuration files in this folder.
   
5. When you're finished editing them, click Save and start up the server to apply the changes.

Global Settings

World Settings

Conclusion

Overall, PaperMC is a great server option for those that want to play with many players, plugins, and still want control over what can or cannot be done. PaperMC is constantly being updated with new fixes and patches, so even the smallest of bugs can be fixed in the same version. If you are interested in joining the PaperMC community, you can visit their page here.

Common Issues

My server is crashing on startup:
Oftentimes, this can occur if using an incompatible world after switching versions, but mostly happens if going from a new version to an older one. If you go from a version like 1.17 to 1.16, we recommend generating a new world to go with it and prevent this issue from occurring.

The server won’t start when using a custom jar:
This usually occurs if the jar file isn’t named correctly. By default, the file should be named “custom.jar”. But to double check, find the “JAR File” section of the panel, then see what the file name is set to under the version selector. Whichever the file name is, make sure the uploaded file has the matching name, then restart.

My server still has lag issues even with PaperMC:
Sometimes, the amount of entities or farms on a server world aren’t fixed through switching to PaperMC. We highly recommend checking our Server Optimization guide, which provides recommended settings on the main config files, as well as the Bukkit and Spigot config files. This will often improve gameplay considerably and assist with any possible issues occurring.