How to Install a Paper Server: Java, First Start and the Files That Matter

A Paper server is a single jar file and a folder. Getting it to start takes ten minutes. Getting it ready for other people takes a little longer, and most of that time is spent on a few settings that are easy to skip.

Step 1: install the right Java

Paper runs on Java, and the version has to match the Minecraft version you run. The Paper documentation states that Minecraft 26.1 and later require Java 25 as a minimum, while versions from 1.20 up to 1.21.11 use Java 21. Check which one you need before you download anything, because a server on the wrong Java simply refuses to start.

Step 2: download Paper

Download a build from the Paper downloads page for the Minecraft version you want. Put the jar in an empty folder of its own, because the server will create its worlds and configuration files next to it. Rename it to something simple, such as paper.jar.

Step 3: start it

Open a terminal in that folder and run the command the Paper documentation gives:

• java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -jar paper.jar --nogui

-Xms and -Xmx set the starting and maximum memory, here four gigabytes; change them to suit the machine. --nogui stops Mojang's server window from opening, which you do not want on a headless machine.

The first run stops almost at once. That is expected: the server creates its files and a file called eula.txt, and refuses to continue until you agree to Mojang's licence.

Step 4: accept the EULA

Open eula.txt and read the licence it points to. If you agree, change eula=false to eula=true, save and start the server again. This time it generates the world. When the console says it is done, the server is running.

Step 5: check the settings that matter

Three files hold almost everything: server.properties, and under the config folder the Paper global and per-world configuration. Start with server.properties and the values below, which the Minecraft Wiki documents.

• server-port defaults to 25565. It is a TCP port, and if you host behind a home router you must forward it.
• online-mode defaults to true, which means only players verified with Mojang's account system can join. Leave it on unless you have a specific reason and a plan, such as a proxy handling authentication.
• view-distance and simulation-distance both default to 10. Lowering them is the simplest way to reduce load; see our guide on server lag for how to decide.
• max-players defaults to 20. Set it to what your machine can really serve.
• enable-rcon and enable-query default to off. Keep them off unless you need them, and never enable rcon without a strong password; the server will not start rcon if the password is blank.

Step 6: let people in

Players connect to your machine's public address on port 25565, or to the address you set up for the server. Test from outside your own network before you announce anything, because a server that works on your computer can still be unreachable from the internet.

Consider turning on the whitelist at first, so only people you name can join while you finish setting up.

Step 7: plan for updates

Paper receives frequent builds. To update, stop the server, take a backup, replace the jar with the new build and start it again. Read the project's notes for any version you skip, because configuration options are sometimes renamed or removed.

The Paper global configuration reference lists every option with its default and meaning. When a guide, including this one, mentions a setting, check that page for the current name before you change it.

What to do next

Add permissions before anything else, so that you decide who can do what from the start. Then add plugins one at a time and restart after each, so that when something breaks you know which change caused it.