Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot vs Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead

A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted game servers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.

Not the right match-up?
FeaturePaper Note - PaperMC server alt SpigotCataclysm: Dark Days Ahead
CategoryGame ServersGame Servers
LicenseGPL-3.0CC-BY-SA-3.0
LanguageJavaC++
Setup difficultyMediumMedium
Min. RAM1,024 MB512 MB
Deploymentdocker, bare-metal, binarybare-metal, binary, source
GitHub stars★ 12,564★ 12,896
First released20142013
ReplacesVanilla Minecraft serverNetHack

Why pick each one

Choose Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot if…

  • Excellent performance
  • Massive plugin ecosystem
Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot details

Choose Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead if…

  • Enormous depth
  • Active development
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead details

Frequently asked questions

Is Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot or Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead better?

Neither is universally better. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead has the larger community; both share a medium setup difficulty, so the decision comes down to features and licensing.

Are Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead free and open-source?

Yes. Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot is licensed under GPL-3.0 and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead under CC-BY-SA-3.0. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.

Can I run Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot and Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead with Docker?

Paper Note - PaperMC server alt Spigot: yes. Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead: check the project docs for container support.

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