When you open a new survival server, the store shows thousands of plugins and it's tempting to try them all. Yet most servers that run well rely on a small number of well-known plugins. This guide covers a core set that works for a survival server on the plugin family (Paper, Purpur, Spigot) and what each one is for.

Before you install: one at a time

Install plugins one by one from the store in the panel, and after each one restart the server and check the console for errors. If you install ten at once and the server won't start, finding the culprit can take hours. Installation is covered in detail in our plugin installation guide.

1. Permissions: LuckPerms

It decides who can use which command. Instead of making everyone an operator, you set up ranks such as player, helper and admin. Because every other plugin's permissions are handed out through it, this is the first plugin to install. Step by step: ranks and permissions with LuckPerms.

2. Everyday commands: EssentialsX

Most of the commands players use every day come from here: saving and returning to a home, sending a teleport request to another player, going back to spawn, fixed teleport points (warps) and starter kits. EssentialsX is modular; next to the core plugin you add EssentialsX Spawn for spawn handling and EssentialsX Chat for chat formatting and rank prefixes.

EssentialsX usually needs Vault as well. Vault does nothing on its own; it is a bridge that lets economy, permissions and chat plugins find each other. If a plugin's page says it requires Vault, install it too.

3. Logging and rollback: CoreProtect

It records every block broken and placed and every item taken from a container. When a base is destroyed, you find who did it and undo only that player's actions, without rewinding the whole world from a backup. Since it can't see events from before it was installed, install it as soon as the server is up. How to use it: finding and rolling back griefing with CoreProtect.

4. Land protection: two approaches

The most common complaint on survival servers is builds being damaged without permission. There are two popular ways to deal with it, and they can be used together:

  • Admin-defined regions (WorldGuard and WorldEdit): you mark areas such as spawn, the market or shared farms and set their rules, for example no block breaking, no mob spawning or no player-versus-player combat. WorldGuard needs WorldEdit to select regions.
  • Player-owned land (plugins like GriefPrevention): players mark the area around their own homes and decide who may enter and touch what. It takes work off your staff and scales more easily on busy servers.

5. The world: border and pregeneration

As players head into new areas, the server generates terrain on the spot, which is one of the most common causes of lag. Setting a world border and pregenerating the terrain with Chunky finishes that work before players arrive. Details: Chunky and the world border.

6. Against X-ray: Paper's built-in protection

X-ray cheats, which show ores through walls, wreck a survival economy faster than anything else. On Paper and Purpur you don't need an extra plugin: the world configuration file in the server's config folder includes a built-in anti-xray feature, and switching on the value in its anti-xray section is enough. Restart the server after the change.

What you don't need to install

  • Backup plugins: on our platform File Protection is on for every server and free. An automatic backup is taken every day, and while your server runs a restore point is created about every half hour.
  • A Bedrock bridge: on packages with 4 GB or more, the Java + Bedrock feature in the panel installs the components it needs by itself. Details in our cross-play guide.

How many plugins is too many?

There's no hard limit on the number of plugins, but each one uses some memory and processor time. What they do matters more than how many there are: plugins that run constantly in the background, render maps or keep large databases weigh more than dozens of simple command plugins. You'll find the recommended level for your package in our plugin limits and performance article.

These six areas cover everything most survival servers need in their first months. As the community grows and you want to add economy, quest or minigame plugins, install each new one as above, one at a time and after taking a backup.