KrillCloudPaper vs Purpur vs Vanilla
Which server software should you run? The three common choices, briefly.
See plans from £6/month
The short answer
- Paper for most servers. It runs plugins, is tuned for performance and stays close to normal Minecraft.
- Purpur if you want everything Paper does plus many extra settings and gameplay options.
- Vanilla if you want the plain game from Mojang with no plugins.
| Software | Plugins | Mods | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vanilla | No | No | A small group who want the unmodified game |
| Paper | Yes | No | Most servers: friends, communities and minigames |
| Purpur | Yes | No | Servers that want extra settings and tweaks |
Vanilla
Vanilla is the server Mojang publishes. It has no plugin support, so there are no land claims, shops or ranks unless you use commands and datapacks. It is not tuned for busy servers. For a few friends who want the plain game it is perfectly good, and it is the simplest option.
Paper
Paper is a high-performance fork of the Minecraft server. It runs Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins, which is where most of the plugin library lives, and it includes many performance fixes. Gameplay stays very close to vanilla. It is the default when you order from us, and it is the one we recommend unless you have a reason to choose another.
Purpur
Purpur is built on top of Paper, so it keeps Paper's performance work and runs the same plugins. It adds a long list of extra options for changing how the game behaves. That is handy if you like to tweak things, and it also means more to read and configure. The speed gap between Paper and Purpur is small, so do not choose between them on performance alone.
Common questions
Do my plugins work on Purpur? Yes. Purpur is built on Paper, so plugins made for Paper, Spigot or Bukkit run on both.
Will my existing world work? A vanilla world normally loads on Paper or Purpur, because they use the same world format as the game. Keep a backup anyway, in case a plugin or setting changes how something behaves.
Can I switch later? Yes, in a few clicks from the Jar Picker. Switching is easiest early, before you have a big world and a long list of plugins that depend on one choice.
Which one is fastest? Paper and Purpur usually run busy servers better than vanilla does. If your server lags, check the lag guide before you change software, because view distance and farms often matter more.
What about mods?
None of these three run mods. Mods need a loader such as Fabric, Forge or NeoForge, and you cannot mix mods and plugins on one server. If you want mods, see modded Minecraft server hosting.
A word on gameplay differences
Paper and Purpur fix some bugs and let you change some behaviour. Most players never notice. Technical players whose farms or redstone depend on quirks of the vanilla server should test before moving a world, because a few things can behave differently.
How to switch on KrillCloud
At checkout you can start as Paper (the default), Vanilla, Fabric or Forge. Purpur and NeoForge are in the Jar Picker page of the panel:
- Make a manual backup first. Changing software on an existing world can cause problems.
- Open Jar Picker, choose the jar type and the Minecraft version.
- Press Switch jar and confirm. The server restarts on the new software, and your files and worlds stay in place.
To move to another Minecraft version with the same software, follow the change version guide.
Related guides
Ready to play?
Pick a plan and your server is set up as soon as payment clears.
See plans