How to Edit Minecraft Plugins

Have you ever wanted to decompile and edit Minecraft plugins, so you can make changes?

Changing plugin codes can happen very easily with our tutorial on how to edit Minecraft plugins, and compile them.

What coding language do Minecraft plugins use?

Minecraft is written in Java, and it uses plugins, which are also written in the same coding language. Creating plugins in different languages is not possible.

To use Minecraft plugins you will need to have the Java Development Kit (JDK), which is available to download from the official Java website (Oracle).

How Minecraft plugins work

Minecraft plugins operate the same way as add-ons in browsers. They inject codes into your Minecraft server, providing you with more functions and in-game content.

Minecraft plugins can also be seen as DLC content, as each plugin will give you more functionality over developing new content.

Each plugin downloaded on a server will give certain features to players, or exclusively to the server administrators.

For a plugin to work, you will need to download it and install the plugin on your server. Depending on the type of plugin and its functionality, permissions may be required to be set, so ordinary (non-OP) players can use it.

When should I edit Minecraft plugins?

Editing Minecraft plugins can be a very troublesome task for new developers. Depending on the case Minecraft plugins come with rules that need to be followed, to prevent further issues.

What license does the plugin have applied?

Due to country laws, Minecraft plugins can also be protected from theft. Even though plugins are created through coding, which cannot be copyrighted, some Minecraft authors can try to patent their work.

Since Minecraft is GPL its plugins should also be under the same license, which allows you to edit, but not redistribute the work as yours.

However, many of the premium plugins are registered under the MIT license and have ToS applied, which can terminate your membership if the author understands you have decompiled his work.

Is the plugin abandoned by its author?

Many Minecraft plugins get abandoned by their authors, causing a lack of updates, or activity from their author on sites like Spigot or Bukkit.

In such cases, you can try and contact the authors, to see if they can transfer all files of the plugin under your name, and protect yourself from getting a DMCA.

In case the author doesn’t respond to your messages, you can just edit the plugin and use it on your server. However, you cannot redistribute the work to other people, or sell licenses.

How to edit Minecraft plugins

Editing Minecraft plugins will require different sets of knowledge depending on the outcome you wish to achieve. To update Minecraft plugins you will need to remove old libraries and swap them with new ones.

However, if you wish to re-create a Minecraft plugin or add extra functionality, things might be a bit harder.

So here are the 4 steps to edit Minecraft plugins including decompiling and compiling them.

1. Download a Minecraft plugin IDE

The first thing you will need to do is download an integrated development environment (IDE). For example, you can try using Eclipse, which is the most popular IDE when it comes to plugin development.

Install Eclipse on your computer and open it.

2. Decompile the Minecraft plugin

Decompiling your newly downloaded Minecraft plugin is the next crucial step. To decompile Minecraft plugins, head over to JavaDecompilers, and insert the jar file. If JavaDecompilers doesn’t suit your taste, you can use any other plugin decompiler for Minecraft.

Once the plugin is inserted, choose the Procyon decompiler, and hit the “Upload and Decompile” button.

After decompiling has finished, you will receive a ZIP folder, which can be placed on the desktop and unzipped, as we will need the plugin’s folders.

3. Load the plugin in your IDE

Now that we have the plugin decompiled, we can head over to Eclipse > File > Import Projects.

Choose the unzipped folder, and Eclipse will import all the settings, allowing you to make edits.

4. Compile the Minecraft Plugin

Once the plugin editing has finished, you can right-click on the folder and hover over Run As. This will give you different options, but what you need to choose is Maven install.

After the IDE has finished compiling the plugin, you can install it on your server, and test if it’s working.

Conclusion

Editing Minecraft plugins can always be a fun activity, especially when you have coding knowledge.

However, sometimes the plugins can be obfuscated, meaning harder to read for beginners, and in such cases, stepping away from the plugin can be better.

For those who cannot code plugins or need changes done on a certain plugin, consider hiring a Minecraft plugin developer. From our experience, developers who we had worked with our skilled and finish their work in a timely manner.