What squaremap works with.
| Platform | Java Edition |
|---|---|
| Loaders | Folia, Paper, Sponge |
| Minecraft versions | 1.19.3, 1.20.1, 1.20.6, 1.21, 1.21.8, 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2, 26.3 |
squaremap renders a live, vanilla-style top-down map of a Minecraft server through a web browser, built on the Leaflet mapping library so no player-side install is needed. It runs as a plugin on Paper, Folia, and Sponge, and as a mod on Fabric and NeoForge, with current builds reaching Minecraft 26.3.
What squaremap renders
The map style is flat and vanilla-like: block colors match what a player sees in-world, with no isometric or 3D-perspective mode. Player markers show position, yaw, health, and armor, and the web viewer switches between a server's worlds, useful on servers running the Nether, the End, or extra dimension packs alongside the overworld.
squaremap compared to Dynmap on rendering footprint
squaremap ships one renderer by design; its own project description calls it "minimalistic and lightweight." Dynmap, the older and more established map plugin, offers multiple renderer options including a higher-detail HD renderer that costs more render time and tile storage. Neither project publishes independent memory or CPU benchmarks, so "lightweight" is squaremap's own framing rather than a measured number, but shipping a single fixed renderer is a genuine, structural reason it does less work per tile than a plugin built around several render styles.
Supported server software and version range
Every current platform tracks the same release build. Forge is the outlier, frozen years behind the rest.
- Paper, Folia, Fabric, NeoForge, and Sponge: current through Minecraft 26.3, build 1.4.0, released 2026-09-17.
- Forge: stopped at Minecraft 1.20.1, build 1.2.0, released 2023-09-15.
- The Fabric build requires Fabric API installed alongside it.
Installation and setup
Drop the jar into the plugins folder on Paper, Folia, or Sponge, or the mods folder on Fabric or NeoForge, and restart the server. squaremap starts its own web server on load, reachable from any browser at the configured port, with no separate web server software required.
- config.yml — core plugin settings.
- advanced.yml — advanced and performance-related tuning.
- lang-en.yml — interface text and translations.
Commands and permissions
Every subcommand sits under /squaremap (alias /map) and is gated by its own permission node, so a permissions plugin like LuckPerms can hand out exactly the access an admin wants.
- fullrender [world] — squaremap.command.fullrender — renders a world from scratch.
- radiusrender <world> <radius> [center] — squaremap.command.radiusrender — renders a limited area.
- cancelrender / pauserender [world] — squaremap.command.cancelrender / squaremap.command.pauserender — stop or pause an in-progress render.
- hide / show [player] — squaremap.command.hide / squaremap.command.show (plus .hide.others / .show.others) — remove or restore a player marker.
- resetmap <world> — squaremap.command.resetmap — deletes all tiles for a world.
- link — squaremap.command.link — prints the web map's URL.
Alternatives to squaremap
A server that wants more rendering options can look at Dynmap, which trades squaremap's single flat renderer for several render modes at a higher processing cost, or BlueMap for a full 3D web map instead of a flat top-down view.
SquareMap plugin tutorial for a live web map
Questions about squaremap.
5 questions
How do I install squaremap?
Download the jar matching your server platform from Modrinth, Hangar, or GitHub, then drop it into the plugins folder on Paper, Folia, or Sponge, or the mods folder on Fabric or NeoForge, and restart the server. The web map runs from squaremap's built-in web server once the plugin loads, reachable from any browser at the configured port.
Does squaremap work with Fabric or Forge?
Fabric and NeoForge builds are current, and the Fabric build needs Fabric API installed alongside it. Forge support stopped in 2023 at Minecraft 1.20.1, build 1.2.0, so a modded Forge server on a newer version needs a different map plugin.
Which Minecraft version does squaremap support?
Paper, Folia, Fabric, NeoForge, and Sponge builds all reach Minecraft 26.3, published 2026-09-17 as build 1.4.0. A same-day Paper and Folia build, 1.3.13.2, only lists 26.1.2 in its own file metadata, since it is a narrower point release, not the ceiling. Check the version list for your platform rather than the most recent upload.
How does squaremap compare to Dynmap?
Both render a live web map, but squaremap ships one flat, vanilla-style renderer, while Dynmap offers several render modes including a higher-detail HD renderer. squaremap describes itself as minimalistic and lightweight; that is the project's own framing, not an independently measured benchmark, but a single fixed renderer is a real reason it processes less per tile than a multi-renderer plugin.
Does squaremap impact server performance?
Neither the project nor Dynmap publishes independent CPU or memory benchmarks, so treat squaremap's minimalistic and lightweight framing as project positioning rather than a verified number. A full render of a large world still takes real time and server resources the first time it runs, the same as any map plugin.
