What BKCommonLib works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Spigot, Paper, Purpur, Bukkit |
| Minecraft versions | 1.8.9, 1.12.2, 1.16.5, 1.17.1, 1.18.2, 1.19.4, 1.20.1, 1.20.6, 1.21.1, 1.21.8, 1.21.11, 26.1, 26.2 |
BKCommonLib is a dependency, not a feature. Drop it in your plugins folder and nothing changes for players, because its whole job is to sit underneath other plugins and hand them a stable API instead of letting each one poke at raw Minecraft server internals. Most people arrive here because TrainCarts or another plugin from the same author refused to load without it. It runs on Spigot, Paper, Purpur and other Bukkit forks, and one jar covers 1.8 through 26.2.
Why a plugin told you to install this
Bukkit plugins that touch things the public API does not expose normally reach into Minecraft server code directly, which is why so many of them break on every game update. BKCommonLib absorbs that work. It wraps the version-specific internals behind one API, so when Minecraft moves, only this library has to be rebuilt and the plugins depending on it usually keep working untouched. That is the same job ProtocolLib does for packet handling, in a wider scope.
- TrainCarts states outright that it requires BKCommonLib and will not run without it.
- Other plugins by the same author, and add-ons built on the TrainCarts API, carry the same requirement.
- It registers no gameplay commands of its own and changes nothing about how the game plays.
- It bundles Mountiplex, the reflection and template engine that lets one jar target many server versions at once.
- Javadocs and development builds are published on the author's own build server for plugin developers.
One jar for every Minecraft version
BKCommonLib does not ship a separate download per Minecraft version. The 2.0.2 release from August 2026 declares support for 1.8 all the way through 26.2 in a single file, so a Spigot 1.12.2 server and a Paper 26.2 server both want the same, newest jar.
Supported server software
- Spigot, Paper, Purpur, Pufferfish, Tuinity and TacoSpigot are all named as supported, and most other forks of those work too.
- The current 2.0.2 build, published August 2026, is the one release covering all of them.
- Forge and Paper hybrid servers work with limitations, and only on specific versions: Mohist on 1.12.2 and 1.16.5, Arclight on 1.12.2, 1.15.2, 1.16.5 and 1.18.2, Magma and CatServer on 1.12.2.
- Proxies are not a target. Install it on the backend servers, never on BungeeCord or Velocity.
- If a Minecraft or Paper update breaks it before a release lands, development builds are posted on the author's build server.
Installation
- 1.Download the latest BKCommonLib jar, regardless of which Minecraft version your server runs.
- 2.Put it in the plugins folder next to the plugin that asked for it.
- 3.Restart the server rather than reloading, so both the library and its dependants load in the right order.
- 4.Check the startup log for BKCommonLib before the plugin that needs it. If the dependant still fails, the library version is usually older than that plugin expects.
Questions about BKCommonLib.
5 questions
What is BKCommonLib and do I need it?
It is a utility library for Spigot, Paper and Bukkit servers. On its own it adds no commands, items or gameplay changes. You need it only when another plugin lists it as a requirement, which is most often TrainCarts. If nothing on your server asks for it, there is no reason to install it.
Which version of BKCommonLib should I download?
The latest one, whatever Minecraft version your server runs. The current release supports 1.8 through 26.2 from a single jar, and the project specifically asks people not to install older builds to match older Minecraft versions. Downgrading to match your server version is the most common mistake with this plugin.
How do I install BKCommonLib?
Download the newest jar and place it in your server's plugins folder alongside the plugin that requires it, then restart the server instead of reloading. On startup the console should list BKCommonLib loading before its dependant. Nothing else needs configuring, and the library generates no commands or config you have to touch.
Does BKCommonLib work on Spigot, Paper and Purpur?
All three, plus Pufferfish, Tuinity, TacoSpigot and most other forks of Spigot or Paper. Forge and Paper hybrid servers such as Mohist, Arclight, Magma and CatServer are supported with limitations and only on a handful of older Minecraft versions. It is a server plugin, so it does not belong on a BungeeCord or Velocity proxy.
Does BKCommonLib affect server performance or gameplay?
It changes no gameplay. It houses APIs and performance-sensitive code that other plugins call, so what it costs on your server depends almost entirely on what those plugins ask it to do rather than on the library sitting there. Running it with nothing depending on it is pointless but harmless.
