Staff+

Staff+ is a Minecraft moderation plugin for operators running Paper-family servers, with a companion edition for Velocity networks. It is best suited to teams that want shared punishments and practical staff controls without a license cost. Its reach is strongest when both editions can use a common database.

Overview

Separate Paper and Velocity JARs support Paper, Purpur, Folia, and Velocity deployments. When connected through shared storage, they give staff a common record of bans, IP bans, mutes, warnings, punishment history, and rollback. SQLite works for a straightforward setup; MySQL-compatible MySQL or MariaDB is an option for shared network storage.

Configurable staff weights keep junior staff from overriding or removing punishments set by senior staff or console. That is a useful safeguard for teams with differentiated authority, though operators still need to configure the hierarchy to match their roles.

Key features

Enforcement across a network

Velocity checks bans and IP bans before login reaches a backend server, and filters muted players' chat across connected servers. This is the main reason to deploy the proxy edition: punishment enforcement follows players across the network rather than stopping at one backend. A Paper-only installation does not provide that proxy-side enforcement.

Paper staff utilities

Paper adds vanish, live inventory inspection, spectator follow, flight toggles, and gamemode shortcuts. These tools make it useful for teams that need moderation and routine staff operations in one plugin; they are not part of the Velocity toolset.

Migration and operations

The importer accepts data from Vanilla Minecraft, Essentials and EssentialsX, LiteBans, AdvancedBan, MaxBans, BanManager, and BungeeAdminTools. That breadth can reduce friction when replacing an existing punishment system. Discord webhook moderation logs and a Modrinth update notifier round out the operational features.

Folia support includes regional scheduling and asynchronous teleports designed for Folia's execution model. Both editions collect anonymous bStats metrics, which operators can disable in bStats configuration. Building the project requires Java 21 or later and Gradle or the included wrapper; the project is under the MIT License.

Pricing

Staff+ is free: the Staff+ plan costs nothing under the MIT License. It covers Paper, Purpur, and Folia 1.20–1.21+ and Velocity 3.3.0+. There are no cheaper tiers that trade away proxy enforcement or Paper utilities, so the practical choice is whether to deploy one edition or both. This makes it a fit for operators who want the full feature set without a software charge, while the Java 21 build requirement may matter to people compiling the project themselves.

Platforms

Staff+ is self-hosted and runs through separate server-side JARs: Paper-family support spans Paper, Purpur, and Folia, while the companion JAR targets Velocity. The stated plan covers Paper, Purpur, and Folia 1.20–1.21+ and Velocity 3.3.0+.

Who it's for

Choose Staff+ if you operate a modern Minecraft network and want shared moderation records, proxy-level enforcement, and Paper-side staff tools. It also suits teams migrating from one of its supported punishment systems. For a single Paper server, its staff utilities and moderation functions remain relevant, but the network-specific benefit is smaller without Velocity and shared storage.

Pros and cons

Pros: Shared punishment data across separate Paper and Velocity editions supports network-wide moderation.

Pros: The importer covers several established punishment systems, including Essentials, LiteBans, and BanManager.

Pros: Staff weights help protect senior and console punishments from lower-ranking staff.

Cons: Proxy-wide login checks and muted-chat filtering require the Velocity edition; Paper alone lacks that reach.

Cons: Anonymous bStats metrics are enabled unless operators disable them in configuration.

Cons: Building requires Java 21 or newer, which is a consideration for source-build workflows.

Alternatives

ModGUI is another free, self-hosted option if you need a Paper plugin for Paper 1.21.11 or newer. LibertyBans is worth comparing if you want free software with API and self-hosted platform options; its stated Java requirement is 17. BanManager may suit operators who prefer a project whose maker describes it as open source and welcomes contributions.

Nimbus AntiCheat is a free self-hosted option with checks, per-check punishments, player reports, staff inspection tools, and Discord webhook notifications. ExtraBan is another free self-hosted plugin option. Player Report focuses on a Minecraft server plugin tested against major version 1.21, while PunishBAN and AdvancedSensitiveWords are additional self-hosted options.

Browse Minecraft Moderation Plugins for more tools in the same category, or HR Software for a different category.

Verdict

Staff+ is a strong choice for Minecraft network operators who want a free, shared moderation system with Velocity enforcement and a capable set of Paper staff utilities. Choose it for the common punishment record, migration support, and hierarchy controls; look elsewhere if your deployment does not fit its supported server versions or if you do not want bStats metrics collected by default.