Purpur Minecraft Server: What It Is, Purpur vs Paper and Setup

What is Purpur in Minecraft?

Purpur is a free, open-source Minecraft Java server software that is a drop-in replacement for Paper, designed for configurability and new gameplay features. It's built on top of Paper, so it runs the same plugins and has the same performance, and adds its own config file, purpur.yml, with hundreds of extra options.

The most important thing to understand about Purpur:

• Everything Purpur adds is off by default. The Purpur team states that if you don't edit anything in purpur.yml, running Purpur is no different from running Paper. You opt in to each change.
• All Paper features are included. Purpur inherits Paper's optimisations, settings (config/paper-global.yml, config/paper-world-defaults.yml) and bug fixes.
• Plugins work. Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins run on Purpur. The only exceptions are plugins that hard-code checks for one specific server software.
• No mods. Like Paper, Purpur can't load Fabric, Forge or NeoForge mods.

Purpur is licensed under MIT and is developed by the PurpurMC team. Builds exist for Minecraft 1.14.1 up to the current 26.3.

Purpur vs Paper: what's the difference?

Paper is the standard optimised plugin server; Purpur is Paper plus a big set of optional gameplay and server tweaks. If you don't need those tweaks, Paper is simpler; if you do, Purpur saves you from installing extra plugins for them.

Because Purpur is built on Paper, a new Minecraft version reaches Purpur after Paper. That's rarely a problem, but it's worth knowing on release week.

On Spot.gg, Paper is far more popular: in November 2026, 357 active Minecraft servers ran Paper and 17 ran Purpur. Most server owners never need the extra options – but the ones who do usually can't do without them.

What does Purpur add? The most popular features

Purpur's most used features are rideable mobs, mining spawners with silk touch, AFK detection, villager "lobotomizing" for performance, and many small survival tweaks. Each is a setting in purpur.yml; some also need a permission for players.

A few notes on these:

• Ridable mobs: players mount a mob by shift + right-click and steer with WASD and the spacebar. Without the allow.ride.<mob> permission, nobody but operators can ride – give it with LuckPerms.
• AFK: the AFK features only work when player-idle-timeout in server.properties is greater than 0 (minutes) and kick-if-idle is false. Then, instead of kicking idle players, Purpur marks them as AFK and broadcasts a message.
• Villager lobotomize: villagers that can't move (stuck in a trading cell) stop running their AI, which saves a lot of CPU on servers with big trading halls. Trading still works.

These are only a handful – the official Purpur documentation lists every option in purpur.yml, from per-mob health and breeding to elytra durability and boat behaviour.

Purpur commands

Purpur adds /purpur reload to apply purpur.yml changes without a restart, plus a few small utility commands.

If you also run EssentialsX, it overrides some of these commands (for example /ping). To use Purpur's versions, add them to disabled-commands in the EssentialsX config.

How to edit purpur.yml

purpur.yml is in the main server folder; open it, change the value in the right section and run /purpur reload or restart. The file appears after the first start on Purpur.

World settings live under world-settings → default (for all worlds), and you can override them per world by adding a section with the world's name. A small example that makes pigs rideable and lets players mine spawners with silk touch:

world-settings:
  default:
    mobs:
      pig:
        ridable: true
    gameplay-mechanics:
      silk-touch:
        enabled: true

YAML is sensitive to indentation: use spaces, not tabs, and keep each level indented the same way as the rest of the file. Most of the options already exist in the file with their default value – find the line and change only the value. If the server won't start after an edit, the console usually names the line with the mistake.

When should you choose Purpur instead of Paper?

Choose Purpur if you want to change vanilla mechanics without extra plugins; stay on Paper if you just need a fast, stable plugin server.

Purpur is a good fit when:

• you run an SMP or survival server and want features like rideable mobs, spawner pickup or AFK handling without separate plugins;
• you have big villager trading halls and want lobotomized villagers to save CPU;
• you like to tweak small rules – mob health, breeding cooldowns, bed explosions, mending behaviour.

Stay on Paper when:

• you only need plugins and don't plan to change mechanics;
• you want new Minecraft versions on day one;
• you need Folia for hundreds of players spread over the map (that's a different engine) – see Minecraft server software.

Purpur isn't faster than Paper by itself. For performance tips that work on both, see the best Minecraft performance mods and settings.

How to make a Purpur server on Spot.gg

When you create a server, choose Minecraft, then the Purpur engine and the version – Purpur is installed and ready in one go. Our panel offers Purpur from 1.14.1 to 26.3.

1. Start creating a server and pick Minecraft (Java).
2. Choose Purpur as the engine and pick the Minecraft version.
3. Start the server once – purpur.yml appears in "Files".
4. Edit purpur.yml in "Files" ("Edit" → change the value → "Save"), then type purpur reload in "Console" (no slash in the console) or restart.
5. Install plugins in "Addons" → "Available to install" – Paper plugins work on Purpur, and the list only shows files that fit your server.

Players join with the normal Minecraft Java client – they don't need anything extra for Purpur.

How to switch your server to Purpur (and keep the world)

From Vanilla, use "Information" → "Modify" → "Change engine" and pick Purpur on the same Minecraft version – the world and settings are preserved. The server has to be stopped first.

From Paper, "Change engine" isn't available yet (for now the panel changes the engine with the world kept only from Vanilla). Because Paper and Purpur use the same world format and the same plugins, you can move the files yourself:

1. Make a copy of your files. Download the server profile as a .zip in "Information" (download button next to the profile, available to the server owner), or download the folders over SFTP (login details under "SFTP access" in "Files").
2. Reinstall with Purpur. In "Information" → "Modify" → "Reinstallation" pick Minecraft, then the Purpur engine and the same Minecraft version you had on Paper. Reinstallation deletes all data of the profile, which is why you made a copy first. On paid servers the panel also makes a backup before it starts.
3. Upload your world and plugins. In "Files" drag the folders from your copy onto the page: your world folder (world, and on versions that use them world_nether and world_the_end) and plugins. Copy over server.properties and the lists (ops.json, whitelist.json, banned-players.json) if you want them back as well.
4. Start the server. Your Paper config files can be copied too – Purpur reads the same config/paper-*.yml files.

Never switch to a lower Minecraft version at the same time – downgrading can damage the world.

You can try Purpur on a free server for 24 hours before you move your main server; paid servers start from $3.90 per month.

FAQ

Is Purpur better than Paper?

Not better – more configurable. Purpur is Paper with extra optional features. With an untouched purpur.yml it behaves like Paper.

Do Paper plugins work on Purpur?

Yes. Bukkit, Spigot and Paper plugins work on Purpur. Rare problems come from plugins that hard-code support for one specific server software.

Can Purpur run Forge or Fabric mods?

No. Purpur is a plugin server like Paper. For mods you need Fabric, NeoForge or Forge.

Is Purpur faster than Paper?

It has the same performance base. Some Purpur options (like lobotomized villagers) can save CPU, but just switching to Purpur doesn't make a server faster.

Where is purpur.yml?

In the main server folder, next to server.properties. It's created on the first start with Purpur.

How do I reload purpur.yml without restarting?

Type /purpur reload in game as an operator, or purpur reload in the server console.

Is Purpur free?

Yes. Purpur is free and open source under the MIT license.

Can I go back from Purpur to Paper?

Yes, the world format is the same. Purpur-only behaviour simply stops when you run Paper. Make a copy of your files first, just like when switching to Purpur.