The version you pick decides which plugins work, which players can join, and how often you will be doing maintenance. There is no universally right answer, but there is a right answer for your situation and it is usually not «the newest one».
What each choice costs you
| Choice | Trade-off |
|---|---|
| The very latest release | Newest features; some plugins will not have updated yet. |
| One version behind | Nearly everything works, and the bugs are known. The common choice. |
| A version from a year ago | Very stable plugin support; players have to select it in the launcher. |
| An old PvP version | A specific community wants it; expect little modern plugin support. |
How to choose deliberately
- List the plugins you cannot do without
Two or three, honestly. Then check what versions those support. That list decides your version more than anything else does.
- Ask your players what they run
Most people use whatever the launcher opens with. If your group is happy to select a profile, you have more freedom than you think.
- Decide how often you want to upgrade
Every release means updating plugins and testing. Every second or third release is a normal cadence for a small server.
- Write the version down where players can see it
Half of «I can't connect» is somebody on a different version. Putting it next to the address answers it before it is asked.
Plugins in the ViaVersion family translate between client and server protocol versions, which means a 1.21 client can join a 1.20 server. It works well and it is not magic — new blocks and items still do not exist on your server, and unusual bugs are its known cost.
Opening a world in a newer version converts it, and the older version cannot open it again. Always back up before a version change, and never test an upgrade on the only copy — that combination is where the worst days come from.
The console prints the version you expected at startup, your must-have plugins load without warnings, and a player on the matching client joins normally.