For paper vs spigot, pick Paper if you want a ready-to-run file, a plugin repository of its own and per-world settings. Pick Spigot if you want the original CraftBukkit fork and accept compiling it with BuildTools. Pick Purpur if you already run Paper-style plugins and want extra configurability and gameplay options.
These are server programs, not plugins, so we list none of them as a resource. Facts come from PaperMC's docs and product page, SpigotMC's wiki and PurpurMC's documentation, all read on 5 October 2026. We did not run, benchmark or compare any of them. Plugins for all three are in our Paper, Spigot and Bukkit listings.
Paper, Spigot and Purpur at a glance
| Fact | Paper | Spigot | Purpur |
|---|---|---|---|
| Described as | Drop-in replacement for CraftBukkit and Spigot, extending the Bukkit and Spigot APIs | Fork of CraftBukkit with extra optimizations and more features (wiki page dated 12 March 2023) | Drop-in replacement for Paper, designed for configurability and new gameplay features |
| Maintained by | PaperMC and contributors | SpigotMC | The Purpur project (PurpurMC) |
| How you get it | Runnable file from the PaperMC downloads page | Compiled on your own computer with BuildTools, no direct download | PurpurMC downloads page or its downloads API |
| Java named for newer versions | Java 21 for 1.20 to 1.21.11, Java 25 for 26.1+ | Java 21 above 1.20.5 (BuildTools page, 25 March 2025) | Not stated in the documentation we read |
| Plugin repository | Hangar, 3731 plugins, open beta, read 5 October 2026 | Resources section and BukkitDev, both named on the wiki | None named in the documentation we read |
| Settings files named | Global Configuration and Per World Configuration | server.properties, bukkit.yml, spigot.yml | None listed in the documentation we read |
| Licence | Not stated in the pages we read | Not stated in the pages we read | Patches under MIT unless a patch header says otherwise |
What each one is built on
PaperMC describes Paper as server software that extends and improves the Bukkit and Spigot APIs, and its docs call it a drop-in replacement for both CraftBukkit and Spigot. It is maintained by PaperMC and contributors.
Spigot is, in its own words, a fork of CraftBukkit with extra optimizations and more features. SpigotMC publishes it and its wiki. Its installation page calls it a drop-in replacement for a typical CraftBukkit file.
Purpur sits one layer above. Its documentation calls it a drop-in replacement for Paper servers, and importing the Purpur API also brings in the APIs of Pufferfish, Paper, Spigot and Bukkit. The chain is therefore Bukkit and CraftBukkit, then Spigot, then Paper, then Purpur.
Where Bukkit and CraftBukkit fit
The pages we read use Bukkit for the plugin API and CraftBukkit for the server code behind it. SpigotMC's BuildTools downloads the vanilla server file, Bukkit, CraftBukkit and Spigot, injects CraftBukkit code into the decompiled vanilla server, applies the Spigot patches and outputs a Spigot file. Since 1.14 BuildTools no longer produces a CraftBukkit file unless you add the --compile craftbukkit flag, because users were running CraftBukkit instead of Spigot. None of the pages name who maintains Bukkit, so we do not say.
Whether a plugin written for one runs on the others
Spigot's wiki says Bukkit plugins will likely work on Spigot, unless the author uses certain internal CraftBukkit or vanilla code. Paper says it is a drop-in replacement for CraftBukkit and Spigot, and Purpur says the same about Paper. So plugins aimed at the older layers are expected to run on the newer ones.
The reverse is not stated. Paper extends the Bukkit and Spigot APIs, and Purpur includes Paper's, but no page says a plugin using those extra calls runs on Spigot. Check which software a plugin's own page lists before you add it. The plugin install guide covers the steps, and players need nothing beyond a normal client.
How each one is obtained
Paper provides runnable server files directly from its downloads page, and its docs link a startup script generator. Purpur offers a downloads page plus an API that lists versions and builds and serves the latest build for a given version. Its documentation was current to build #2347 when we read it.
Spigot has no direct download. The BuildTools page says a DMCA takedown request filed in 2014 is the reason, and BuildTools is the legal workaround. It needs Git and Java, and since 15 January 2024 it has a graphical interface as well as a command line.
What extra settings each one adds
Spigot adds bukkit.yml and spigot.yml next to the vanilla server.properties. Paper's getting-started page points to Global Configuration and Per World Configuration pages, and says it lets dimensions keep independent data such as game rules. Purpur calls itself designed for configurability, but the documentation we read lists no files or options, so we name none.
On speed, Paper's own page says its optimizations bring a significant performance increase, naming asynchronous chunk loading and changes to the light engine, hoppers and entities. Spigot's wiki mentions extra optimizations without detail. We give no number for any of the three because none is sourced.
Which one to choose
The plugin you want often decides it. If its page lists Paper, run Paper or Purpur. If it lists only Spigot or Bukkit, all three are expected to take it, per the compatibility statements above. For a Paper server, see how LuckPerms or WorldGuard are set up. If you want mods rather than plugins, none of these is the right base, and client-side vs server-side mods explains the split.
- Paper. Ready-to-run file, its own plugin repository and per-world settings. Plugins that rely on its extra API may not run on Spigot.
- Spigot. Long-running fork with three settings files, but you must compile it with Git and Java, and it has no direct download.
- Purpur. Extra configurability and gameplay features on top of Paper. Its documentation names no plugin repository and no Java requirement.