|
| 1 | +--- |
| 2 | +slug: /next-steps |
| 3 | +description: How to proceed after starting your server. |
| 4 | +--- |
| 5 | + |
| 6 | +# Next Steps |
| 7 | + |
| 8 | +Now that you have your server up and running, there are a few things you should do to ensure that your server is running smoothly. |
| 9 | + |
| 10 | +## Configuration |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +One of the first things you should do is ensure your server is configured to your specifications. |
| 13 | +Paper is highly configurable, and you can change many settings to suit your needs. We outline where |
| 14 | +you can find these settings in the [Configuration](/paper/reference/configuration) guide. |
| 15 | + |
| 16 | +## Plugins |
| 17 | + |
| 18 | +One of the main reasons to use Paper is to take advantage of the many plugins which make use of our |
| 19 | +expansive API. We have our own plugin repository, [Hangar](https://hangar.papermc.io/), where you can |
| 20 | +find many plugins to use on your server. We also have a guide on how to install plugins |
| 21 | +[here](/paper/adding-plugins). |
| 22 | + |
| 23 | + |
| 24 | + |
| 25 | +## Security |
| 26 | + |
| 27 | +### Whitelisting |
| 28 | + |
| 29 | +If you want to restrict who can join your server, you can use the whitelist feature. This allows you to |
| 30 | +specify who can join your server, and stops anyone else from joining. You can use the whitelist from |
| 31 | +the server console, or by editing the `whitelist.json` file in your server directory. |
| 32 | + |
| 33 | +### Permissions |
| 34 | + |
| 35 | +Permissions are a way to control what players can and cannot do on your server. You can use permissions |
| 36 | +to restrict who can use certain commands, or who can access certain areas of your server. It is |
| 37 | +common for plugins to use permissions to control who can use their features. You can use permission |
| 38 | +plugins such as [LuckPerms](https://luckperms.net/) to manage the permissions which players will be granted. |
| 39 | + |
| 40 | +## Backups |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +It's important to keep backups of your server. If something goes wrong, you can restore your server to a |
| 43 | +previous state. We cover how to do this in the [Updating](/paper/updating) guide. |
| 44 | + |
| 45 | +## Optimization |
| 46 | + |
| 47 | +Out of the box, Paper is optimized for performance. However, there are many things you can do to further |
| 48 | +optimize your server. One of the most common things to do is to make sure that you are running the |
| 49 | +correct startup flags for your server. We have a tool that allows you to automatically generate a |
| 50 | +startup script with the correct flags for your server. You can find this tool |
| 51 | +[here](/misc/tools/start-script-gen). Beyond this, a guide such as [this one](https://paper-chan.moe/paper-optimization/) |
| 52 | +will help you to further optimize your server. |
| 53 | + |
| 54 | +## Making your server public |
| 55 | + |
| 56 | +If you want to make your server public, you will need to port forward your server. This allows people |
| 57 | +from outside your network to connect to your server. There is a guide made by |
| 58 | +[NordVPN](https://nordvpn.com/blog/open-ports-on-router/) which explains what port forwarding is and how |
| 59 | +to do it for your Paper server. |
| 60 | + |
| 61 | +## Troubleshooting |
| 62 | + |
| 63 | +If you encounter any issues with your server, you can follow our [Troubleshooting](/paper/basic-troubleshooting) |
| 64 | +guide to help you diagnose and fix the issue. If you are unable to fix the issue, you can come and |
| 65 | +ask for help in our [Discord](https://discord.gg/papermc) server! |
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