What is PaperMC used for?

PaperMC is open-source Minecraft server software that improves performance, fixes gameplay inconsistencies and provides a plugin API for server owners. It is a good fit for hosting a Minecraft server with plugins and developing server-side Minecraft plugins.

Is PaperMC open source?

Yes. PaperMC is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at PaperMC/Paper and is written mainly in Java.

Yes. PaperMC is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.

Can I self-host PaperMC?

Yes. PaperMC can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.

What are some alternatives to PaperMC?

Similar open-source tools in the Games & Emulation category include Sunshine, Lichess and Playnite. SaaS products in the same category include CurseForge, Amazon Luna and Apex Legends.

Is PaperMC actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to PaperMC was on 2 October 2026. The project has 13k stars on GitHub.

PaperMC: open-source games & emulation

About PaperMC

Paper is a Minecraft server implementation that aims to improve performance and to fix gameplay and mechanics inconsistencies. Server administrators download a launcher jar called Paperclip and run it like a normal Java program, and plugin developers can build against the Paper API, which extends the Bukkit-style plugin ecosystem.

The project is developed in Java and builds from source with JDK 25 using Gradle tasks that apply patches and create the Paperclip jar. Documentation for administrators lives at docs.paper.mc, while the API has Javadocs and Maven and Gradle repository details for developers. Older version branches from 1.8 through 1.21.3 are kept in a separate archive repository.

The code is published under the licenses described in the repository. Support and discussion take place on the PaperMC forums and Discord. Running costs such as infrastructure are covered through Open Collective and GitHub Sponsors, which keeps financial reporting transparent for the community.

Key features

Optimized Minecraft server implementation
Fixes for gameplay and mechanics inconsistencies
Paper API for plugin developers
Paperclip launcher jar for easy setup
Builds from source with Gradle
Maven and Gradle API repositories

Good fit for

→Hosting a Minecraft server with plugins
→Developing server-side Minecraft plugins

Built with: Java
Tags: minecraft; game-server; plugins; bukkit; java; performance; self-hosted

PaperMC: questions and answers

What is PaperMC used for?: PaperMC is open-source Minecraft server software that improves performance, fixes gameplay inconsistencies and provides a plugin API for server owners. It is a good fit for hosting a Minecraft server with plugins and developing server-side Minecraft plugins.
Is PaperMC open source?: Yes. PaperMC is open source under a custom licence. Its source code is on GitHub at PaperMC/Paper and is written mainly in Java.
Is PaperMC free?: Yes. PaperMC is open source, so the software itself is free to use under the terms of its own licence.
Can I self-host PaperMC?: Yes. PaperMC can be self-hosted on your own server or infrastructure; there is no official hosted version.
What are some alternatives to PaperMC?: Similar open-source tools in the Games & Emulation category include Sunshine, Lichess and Playnite. SaaS products in the same category include CurseForge, Amazon Luna and Apex Legends.
Is PaperMC actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to PaperMC was on 2 October 2026. The project has 13k stars on GitHub.