Direct answer

Paper provides additional options and performance changes beyond Spigot. Matching the Minecraft version reduces risk during the migration.

Recommended procedure

  1. Record your current Minecraft version, plugin list and JVM before modifying the server.
  2. Back up world folders, plugin data and startup scripts and verify you can restore them.
  3. Check Paper’s Java requirement for the target release and download the official Paper build.

What to change

  1. Stop Spigot and update the start command to use the Paper JAR.
  2. Start Paper; review startup warnings and the generated config/paper-global.yml and config/paper-world-defaults.yml.
  3. Retest protections, redstone/farms, world generation and plugin data before inviting all players.

How to verify the result

Run /version, test representative plugin features and compare baseline TPS/MSPT with the same workload; restore from backup if required.

Version and compatibility notes

Some Spigot plugins rely on implementation details; do not assume perfect compatibility. Paper 26.1+ needs Java 25; Paper 1.20–1.21.11 generally uses Java 21.

Official references

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