CraftBukkit Download & BuildTools Guide

The original Bukkit plugin server that started it all.

Latest stable CraftBukkit 26.2 Java 25 · 16 Jun 2026

What CraftBukkit is and who it's for

CraftBukkit is the original server implementation of the Bukkit plugin API, the project that started Minecraft plugin servers. It is still built by SpigotMC's BuildTools (--compile craftbukkit), but today it is mostly used for compatibility testing: Spigot and Paper are faster and run the same plugins.

Like Spigot, CraftBukkit has no official pre-built downloads. Each version page shows the BuildTools command first; a mirror download is listed separately and marked as unofficial. For a production server we recommend Paper.

All CraftBukkit versions

Minecraft 26.x (4)
Version MC release Build Java Status
26.2 latest — 25 —
26.1.2 — 25 —
26.1.1 — 25 —
26.1 — 25 —
Minecraft 1.21 (7)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.21.11 — 21 —
1.21.10 — 21 —
1.21.8 — 21 —
1.21.5 — 21 —
1.21.4 — 21 —
1.21.3 — 21 —
1.21.1 — 21 —
Minecraft 1.20 (4)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.20.6 — 21 —
1.20.4 — 17 —
1.20.2 — 17 —
1.20.1 — 17 —
Minecraft 1.19 (5)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.19.4 — 17 —
1.19.3 — 17 —
1.19.2 — 17 —
1.19.1 — 17 —
1.19 — 17 —
Minecraft 1.18 (3)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.18.2 — 17 —
1.18.1 — 17 —
1.18 — 17 —
Minecraft 1.16 (5)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.16.5 — 8 —
1.16.4 — 8 —
1.16.3 — 8 —
1.16.2 — 8 —
1.16.1 — 8 —
Minecraft 1.15 (3)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.15.2 — 8 —
1.15.1 — 8 —
1.15 — 8 —
Minecraft 1.14 (5)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.14.4 — 8 —
1.14.3 — 8 —
1.14.2 — 8 —
1.14.1 — 8 —
1.14 — 8 —
Minecraft 1.13 (3)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.13.2 — 8 —
1.13.1 — 8 —
1.13 — 8 —
Minecraft 1.12 (3)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.12.2 — 8 —
1.12.1 — 8 —
1.12 — 8 —
Minecraft 1.11 (2)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.11.2 — 8 —
1.11 — 8 —
Minecraft 1.10 (1)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.10.2 — 8 —
Minecraft 1.9 (3)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.9.4 — 8 —
1.9.2 — 8 —
1.9 — 8 —
Minecraft 1.8 (3)
Version MC release Build Java Status
1.8.8 — 8 —
1.8.3 — 8 —
1.8 — 8 —

How to set up a CraftBukkit server

Steps for the latest version (26.2); every version page has its own exact commands.

  1. Install Java 25 or newer (e.g. Eclipse Temurin) and check it with java -version.
  2. Download BuildTools.jar from SpigotMC's Jenkins: hub.spigotmc.org/jenkins/…/BuildTools.jar, into an empty folder.
  3. BuildTools needs Git. The current BuildTools installs it automatically on Windows; on Linux/macOS install git with your package manager. (Since January 2024 BuildTools also has a GUI if you double-click the jar.)
  4. Run java -jar BuildTools.jar --rev 26.2 --compile craftbukkit. BuildTools downloads Mojang's server, decompiles and patches it — this takes several minutes the first time.
  5. Your server jar is craftbukkit-26.2.jar in the same folder. Copy it into a new server folder and start it with the script below.
  6. Accept Mojang's EULA: after the first start set eula=true in eula.txt, then start again.

CraftBukkit FAQ

What is the latest CraftBukkit version?

The newest CraftBukkit release on MCJarHub is 26.2.

Is CraftBukkit still maintained?

Yes, as part of SpigotMC's BuildTools, but it gets few performance improvements. Spigot and Paper build on top of it.

Can I run CraftBukkit plugins on Paper?

Yes. Paper implements the Bukkit API, so Bukkit plugins run on it.

CraftBukkit Java requirements

MinecraftJava
26.1 – 26.2Java 25+
1.20.6 – 1.21.11Java 21+
1.18 – 1.20.4Java 17+
1.8 – 1.16.5Java 8+
Full Minecraft → Java table

CraftBukkit vs alternatives

Paper Spigot
Detailed comparison →

Official links

Grab it via API

curl https://mcjarhub.com/api/v1/latest/craftbukkit Full API documentation →