SpigotMC

SpigotMC (usually just "Spigot") is Minecraft server software, a fork of CraftBukkit, the first server with plugin support in Minecraft's history. Spigot was created by md_5 in 2012 and quickly became the industry standard, replacing the original CraftBukkit after the controversial DMCA takedown in 2014, which threatened the entire plugin ecosystem.

Spigot adds performance optimizations to CraftBukkit: faster terrain generation, better entity management, more efficient chunk ticking and many small fixes. For years Spigot was the "gold standard" of Minecraft servers, and most guides, plugins and tutorials were written with Spigot in mind.

Spigot is still actively developed today. For years it was the base for Paper, but since version 1.21.4 Paper has been developed independently as a hard fork and no longer pulls in changes from Spigot. Most new servers pick Paper over Spigot because it offers everything Spigot does plus hundreds of extra optimizations. Spigot remains important as the foundation of the Bukkit API ecosystem and for servers that need 100% compatibility with older plugins.

A unique feature of Spigot is its distribution system. Because of the legal issues around the DMCA, Spigot does not offer ready-made .jar files to download. Instead you have to compile Spigot yourself with BuildTools, a Java program that automatically downloads the Minecraft source code, CraftBukkit and the Spigot patches, then compiles everything into a finished .jar file.

The latest version is Spigot 26.3: CraftBukkit got it on September 15, 2026, and BuildTools currently builds it as build 4663 (as of October 20, 2026). Earlier 26.x releases are 26.2 (June 16, 2026) and 26.1.2 (April 9, 2026); the same build also serves --rev 26.1 and --rev 26.1.1. What else changes when you move up from 1.21.11 is covered in our guide to updating a server to 26.x.

Unlike Paper, which offers ready-made downloads, Spigot has to be compiled with BuildTools. The whole process takes about 10-15 minutes.

1. Install Java 25 and Git - BuildTools needs both. For 26.x versions BuildTools accepts Java 25 or 26 (1.21.11 still compiles on Java 21). Get Java from adoptium.net and Git from git-scm.com.
2. Download BuildTools - go to spigotmc.org/wiki/buildtools and download BuildTools.jar.
3. Run BuildTools - open a terminal in the BuildTools folder and type: java -jar BuildTools.jar --rev 26.3
   The process downloads the source code and compiles Spigot (10-15 minutes).
4. Get the .jar file - after compilation, spigot-26.3.jar appears in the folder.
5. Create a server folder - copy the .jar file into an empty folder.
6. Start the server - java -Xmx4G -jar spigot-26.3.jar nogui
7. Accept the EULA - edit eula.txt, change it to eula=true and start the server again.

For new servers we clearly recommend Paper. Paper is faster, easier to install (a ready-made .jar), has better support and a more active community. Spigot is worth considering in these situations:

• You are writing a plugin that needs 100% vanilla mechanics - Paper changes some behaviors (for example TNT duplication), and Spigot is closer to vanilla
• You have an old plugin that only works with the Spigot API - rare, but it happens
• You need control over the build process - BuildTools lets you apply your own patches
• You are learning plugin development - the Spigot API is well documented and widely covered in tutorials

In every other case Paper is the better choice. Paper supports 100% of Spigot plugins, and most plugins are tested on Paper.

The history of Spigot is tied to CraftBukkit, the first Minecraft server with a plugin API, created in 2011. With CraftBukkit, instead of modifying the server.jar file, a plugin author could write a standalone module that hooked into the server through the API. Thousands of plugins were built on the Bukkit API.

In September 2014 Wesley Wolfe, one of the CraftBukkit developers, filed a DMCA notice against the project, claiming his code was being distributed without his consent. CraftBukkit was taken down and the community faced a crisis. md_5 then saved the situation by creating the BuildTools system, a tool that let anyone compile Spigot from source without distributing ready-made files, which got around the DMCA issue.

That legacy lives on: Spigot still has to be compiled with BuildTools, and the whole chain of forks (Spigot → Paper → Purpur) builds on the architecture CraftBukkit established. The Bukkit API, designed over a decade ago, remains the foundation of the Minecraft plugin ecosystem.