Should I use Spigot or Paper?

Paper. Paper is a fork of Spigot that runs every Spigot plugin unchanged but performs 2x to 3x better under load and is updated far more frequently. The only reason to pick Spigot is if you are maintaining a very old legacy server and don't want to change anything.

Why isn't the JAR hosted here?

Mojang's redistribution agreement forbids sharing prebuilt Spigot binaries. Every legitimate Spigot download on the web either links to getbukkit.org (the community mirror) or ships BuildTools, the utility you run yourself to build a JAR from Mojang's server code. We link to both.

BuildTools is a small Java utility from the Spigot project that downloads Mojang's server JAR, applies the Spigot patches, and produces a Spigot JAR on your machine. It's the legally-sound way to get Spigot without relying on a third-party mirror.

Which Java version does Spigot need?

Minecraft 1.20.5 and newer require Java 21. Earlier versions back to 1.17 need Java 17. For anything before 1.17, install Java 8 or 11.

Download Spigot Server JAR

Spigot is the long-standing plugin-capable server software for Minecraft. Every version on this page points to the community mirror at getbukkit — we do not host Spigot binaries, per Mojang's agreement.

Latest version

26.1.2

Download JAR

What is Spigot?

Spigot is a fork of CraftBukkit and one of the oldest plugin-capable Minecraft servers. It extends Vanilla with a plugin API (the Bukkit API) that lets developers add almost anything to the game — economies, protections, minigames, custom commands — without touching the base game. Because Mojang's agreement does not permit redistribution of Spigot binaries, all downloads here link to the getbukkit.org community mirror, which is the standard place to get prebuilt Spigot JARs. For new servers in 2026 we strongly recommend Paper instead: Paper is a drop-in Spigot replacement that runs every Spigot plugin unchanged but performs dramatically better.

When should I use Spigot?

Pick Spigot only if you have a specific reason — for example, a legacy server you are keeping untouched. For new projects, Paper is strictly better.

⚖ Per Mojang's agreement, Spigot binaries cannot be redistributed directly. All download links on this page point to getbukkit.org, the long-standing community mirror, or to BuildTools if you prefer to build Spigot yourself.

Setup

Required Java

Java 21 (MC 1.20.5+) · Java 17 (MC 1.17–1.20.4) · Java 8 (older)

Recommended RAM

2–4 GB for <20 players, 6–8 GB for 20–50, 10+ GB for bigger servers

Start script (Linux/macOS)

java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -XX:+UseG1GC -jar spigot.jar nogui

Start script (Windows)

java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -XX:+UseG1GC -jar spigot.jar --nogui
pause

All Spigot versions

Every Spigot build we have ever seen, grouped by Minecraft major version. Click any version to open its dedicated download page.

Show older Minecraft versions (14 majors)

Minecraft 1.19 (5)

1.19.4 1.19.3 1.19.2 1.19.1 1.19

Minecraft 1.18 (3)

1.18.2 1.18.1 1.18

Minecraft 1.17 (2)

1.17.1 1.17

Minecraft 1.16 (5)

1.16.5 1.16.4 1.16.3 1.16.2 1.16.1

Minecraft 1.15 (3)

1.15.2 1.15.1 1.15

Minecraft 1.14 (5)

1.14.4 1.14.3 1.14.2 1.14.1 1.14

Minecraft 1.13 (3)

1.13.2 1.13.1 1.13

Minecraft 1.13-pre7 (1)

1.13-pre7

Minecraft 1.12 (3)

1.12.2 1.12.1 1.12

Minecraft 1.11 (1)

1.11.2

Minecraft 1.10 (1)

1.10.2

Minecraft 1.9 (1)

1.9.4

Minecraft 1.8 (1)

1.8.8

Minecraft 1.7 (1)

1.7.10

Want it hosted for you?

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Frequently asked questions

Other Minecraft server types

Paper Vanilla Fabric Forge NeoForge

← All server types