Best Plugin Decompilers for Minecraft

If you are a beginner in Minecraft plugin development, perhaps you would be looking for a good plugin decompiler, which suits your needs.

Or you might be searching for a better alternative to your current software.

In this case, we would like to present our top picks on the best plugin decompilers for Minecraft.

What are plugin decompilers in Minecraft

Minecraft plugin decompilers are used to reverse-engineer an already-built plugin jar, by returning it to its folder phase. Such tools are used when plugin updates are required, or to simply troubleshoot code.

Decompilers are also known as development tools and have many different uses, but work perfectly fine with jar files, which are used in Minecraft Java Edition.

These tools have the power to obfuscate and turn untouchable by normal software code, into their original set of folders, with all files used to power the plugin.

Not to mention that developers use them to edit Minecraft plugins and perform all the updates, which you see on their author pages.

Decompilers are also used for plugin updates, which means you can easily update your jar to the latest Minecraft version, with no technical knowledge involved.

Is it illegal to decompile plugins in Minecraft?

You are probably wondering if it is legal to decompile Minecraft plugins, and can you be obligated to content theft?

The answer is, no. No plugin developer can claim the code of a plugin as theirs, because they are using the official Minecraft libraries, which means only Mojang, and Microsoft can take legal measures.

Since part of Minecraft’s code is now open-source, re-creating plugins, or playing with codes is completely legal, and cannot be claimed as own work.

However, authors and plugin developers can make their own ToS, meaning that they can completely hide their plugin, or stop doing business with anybody they wish to.

Best plugin decompilers for Minecraft

Now that we have a clear understanding of how decompilers are being used in Minecraft, and if decompiling plugins are legal, let’s reveal the best plugin decompilers.

1. Java Decompiler – IntelliJ IDE

IntelliJ IDE is one of the first plugin decompilers ever used for Minecraft plugin development purposes.

It is one of the oldest decompilers for plugins and Minecraft, used and loved by developers. Its Vanilla-like screen is very clean in terms of functions, and can always get the job done fast.

IntelliJ’s IDE still has some downsides as it lacks tutorials and screenshots of how it can be used. Not to mention that the YouTube videos done with this Minecraft plugin decompiler are outdated but still useful in terms of plugin decompiling and development.

The Java Decompiler works fine with all Minecraft plugin versions and is always updated to the latest version, to continue its brilliant work.

2. FernFlower

As the best alternative to IntelliJ’s plugin decompiler for Minecraft, FernFlower earns its rightful place due to its meaningful features, and great work.

Creating an IDE such as FernFlower sounds almost impossible, and could take many hours of work. However, its developer from JetBrains says that he did this project just for fun.

FernFlower is open-source software, created to ease up the work with high-level programming, but is also a very useful tool when decompiling Minecraft plugins.

It has a very simple and easy-to-learn panel filled with tools and hundreds of options for integrations.

3. QuiltFlower

Just like FernFlower, QuiltFlower is a brand-new Minecraft plugin decompiling software, which is perfect for both beginners and intermediates in the field. It can be integrated with all the popular addons and serves the great purpose of making codes easier to read.

While FernFlower has its ups and downs, QuiltFlower is designed to take on its own path by making things easier for beginners.

For example, code structuring and reading are one of the main problems for most of the plugin decompilers in Minecraft. However, QuiltFlower overcomes this and aims to create an even better functionality.

Even though QuiltFlower is only a hard fork, it has been proven that it’s one of the best plugin decompilers for Minecraft.

4. Enhanced Class Decompiler

Enhanced Class Decompiler is one of the most tool-friendly software developed. Its creation is based on the popular decompiler “Eclipse” (one of the heaviest Minecraft plugin decompilers).

However, the Enhanced Class Decompiler can easily integrate with your favorite tools such as JD, Jad, FernFlower, QuiltFlower, Eclipse, and many others.

While the above-mentioned tools are stand-alone decompilers in most cases, the ECD acts more like an add-on and can be useful for Minecraft plugin decompiling and development.

5. Decompilers Online

The Decompilers online is a personal favorite and can be a very useful software for simply plugin decompiling for Minecraft. There are no requirements or limitations on using the website, moreover, you can decompile as much as you need to, without stops or stutters.

The Decompilers Online tool can perfectly fit people who don’t wish to learn how decompilers work, or simply need to send work to a freelancer.

While its main purpose isn’t for Minecraft plugin decompiling, it does the work very well, because the Minecraft plugins are based on the Java programming language.

Conclusion

By using Java plugin decompiling tools for Minecraft, players can easily send work to freelancers and understand a small fraction of how the process is done.

While it may be quite unnecessary, these decompilers can also be used for learning purposes on how you can develop and update your own Minecraft plugins.