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Installing Plugins via the Marketplace

Browse and install 10,000+ plugins from Hangar and SpigotMC directly through your control panel

⏱️ 9 min read•Updated November 2025•✅ Feature Available

What You'll Learn

  • ✅ How to access the Plugin & Mod Marketplace
  • ✅ Browsing and searching 10,000+ plugins from Hangar and SpigotMC
  • ✅ Installing essential plugins (EssentialsX, WorldEdit, WorldGuard, LuckPerms)
  • ✅ Filtering plugins by Minecraft version compatibility
  • ✅ Managing installed plugins and updates

Requirements: Plugin-Compatible Server Type

Plugins only work on plugin-compatible server types. Your server must be running one of:

📄

Paper

Recommended - Best performance

💜

Purpur

Paper + extra features

🪣

Spigot

Maximum compatibility

⚠️ Note: Plugins do NOT work on Vanilla, Forge, Fabric, NeoForge, or Quilt servers. Switch to Paper/Purpur/Spigot first.

Step 1: Access the Plugin & Mod Marketplace

  1. Log in to your Pelican Panel at panel.ocnetworks.co.uk
  2. Select your Minecraft server from the server list
  3. In the left sidebar under "Management", click Marketplace
  4. The Plugins tab is selected by default for Paper/Purpur/Spigot servers

Step 2: Browse and Search Plugins

The marketplace displays popular plugins by default and includes pagination to browse hundreds of plugins.

Search Options:

  • Search by name - Type plugin names like "EssentialsX", "WorldEdit", or "economy"
  • Filter by version - Marketplace automatically filters to your Minecraft version
  • Browse popular - Default view shows 100+ popular plugins with pagination
  • Page navigation - Use Previous/Next or page numbers to browse all results

Plugin Sources:

Hangar (Paper Plugins)

Official Paper plugin repository with verified plugins and modern API

SpigotMC (Spiget)

Largest Spigot plugin repository with 10,000+ plugins

Step 3: Install a Plugin with One Click

Each plugin card shows key information:

  • 📊 Download count - Total downloads across all versions
  • ⭐ Ratings - Star rating from the community
  • 📝 Description - What the plugin does
  • 🏷️ Version tags - Supported Minecraft versions (e.g., 1.20, 1.19, 1.18)

To Install a Plugin:

  1. Find the plugin you want using search or browsing
  2. Review the plugin description and version compatibility
  3. Click the orange 📦 Install button
  4. The plugin .jar file is downloaded and uploaded to your server automatically
  5. Restart your server for the plugin to load

💡 Tip: Most plugins are hot-reloadable. For instant activation, use /reload in console (though server restart is recommended for stability).

Recommended Essential Plugins

Here are the most popular plugins you'll want to install on any new server:

⚙️ EssentialsX

Purpose: Core server utilities - homes, warps, kits, economy, chat formatting

Most popular plugin with 100M+ downloads. Provides /home, /spawn, /tpa, /warp, and 300+ commands.

✏️ WorldEdit

Purpose: In-game world editing - copy, paste, build massive structures instantly

Essential for builders and admins. Select regions, fill areas, replace blocks in bulk.

🛡️ WorldGuard

Purpose: Region protection - protect spawn, builds, and custom areas from griefing

Define regions and control who can build, break, interact. Includes PvP zones, mob spawning control.

🔑 LuckPerms

Purpose: Permissions management - control what players can and can't do

Modern permissions plugin with web editor. Create ranks (Member, VIP, Admin), set prefixes, manage permissions.

💰 Vault

Purpose: Economy API - allows economy plugins to work together

Required dependency for most economy plugins. Install this before ChestShop, Jobs, etc.

🪵 CoreProtect

Purpose: Block logging and rollback - track who broke/placed every block

Essential anti-grief tool. Rollback griefing, inspect blocks, restore builds. Database-backed logging.

Managing Installed Plugins

After installing plugins, you can manage them in the marketplace:

View Installed Plugins:

Scroll to the "Installed Plugins" section at the bottom of the Plugins tab. This shows all plugins currently on your server.

Uninstall a Plugin:

  1. Find the plugin in the "Installed Plugins" section
  2. Click the red 🗑️ Uninstall button
  3. Confirm the deletion
  4. Restart your server to fully remove the plugin

⚠️ Warning: Uninstalling a plugin will delete its data folder. Back up plugin configs and data before removing if you want to keep settings.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

❌ Plugin Doesn't Load After Install

Cause: Server not restarted or missing dependencies

Solution: Restart your server fully. Check console for error messages about missing dependencies (like Vault).

❌ Server Crashes After Installing Plugin

Cause: Plugin incompatible with your Minecraft version

Solution: Check the plugin's version tags. Remove the plugin via Files tab, restart server. Search for an updated version.

❌ Plugin Commands Don't Work

Cause: Permissions not set up (LuckPerms required)

Solution: Install LuckPerms, grant yourself admin permissions with /lp user YourName permission set *

📚 Related Guides

STILL NEED HELP?

Our support team is available 24/7 to help with plugin installation issues.

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