> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/PaperMC/Paper/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# API Overview

> Overview of the Paper API and Bukkit API for plugin development

# API Overview

Paper provides a comprehensive API for plugin development, combining the mature Bukkit API with extensive Paper-specific enhancements.

## API Documentation

The complete Paper API javadocs are available at:

**[papermc.io/javadocs](https://papermc.io/javadocs/)**

This includes both the Bukkit API and all Paper-specific additions.

## API Structure

Paper's API consists of two main components:

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Bukkit API" icon="cube" href="/api/bukkit-api">
    The core Minecraft server API that Paper inherits and maintains
  </Card>

  <Card title="Paper API" icon="paper-plane" href="/api/paper-api">
    Paper-specific enhancements, optimizations, and new features
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Key API Components

### Core APIs

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Events" icon="bolt" href="/api/events">
    Event system for listening to and modifying game events
  </Card>

  <Card title="Entities" icon="dragon" href="/api/entities">
    Entity management, customization, and AI control
  </Card>

  <Card title="World" icon="globe" href="/api/world">
    World manipulation, chunk management, and environment control
  </Card>

  <Card title="Registry" icon="database" href="/api/registry">
    Data-driven content and registry access
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Additional APIs

* **[Adventure](/api/adventure)** - Modern text components and chat API
* **Commands** - Command registration and execution
* **Configuration** - Plugin configuration management
* **Permissions** - Permission system integration
* **Scheduler** - Task scheduling and async operations

## Maven Dependency

Add Paper API to your project:

<CodeGroup>
  ```xml Maven theme={null}
  <repository>
      <id>papermc</id>
      <url>https://repo.papermc.io/repository/maven-public/</url>
  </repository>

  <dependency>
      <groupId>io.papermc.paper</groupId>
      <artifactId>paper-api</artifactId>
      <version>1.21.11-R0.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
      <scope>provided</scope>
  </dependency>
  ```

  ```kotlin Gradle (Kotlin DSL) theme={null}
  repositories {
      maven {
          url = uri("https://repo.papermc.io/repository/maven-public/")
      }
  }

  dependencies {
      compileOnly("io.papermc.paper:paper-api:1.21.11-R0.1-SNAPSHOT")
  }

  java {
      toolchain.languageVersion.set(JavaLanguageVersion.of(21))
  }
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## API Stability

<Note>
  The Paper API follows semantic versioning. The API version is specified in your `paper-plugin.yml` file.
</Note>

### Breaking Changes

Paper maintains API stability within major Minecraft versions. Breaking changes are:

* Clearly documented in release notes
* Deprecated before removal when possible
* Only introduced in major version updates

### Experimental APIs

Some Paper APIs are marked as experimental:

```java theme={null}
@ApiStatus.Experimental
public interface SomeNewFeature {
    // ...
}
```

Experimental APIs may change or be removed in future versions.

## Package Structure

### Bukkit Packages

* `org.bukkit.*` - Core Bukkit API
* `org.bukkit.entity.*` - Entity types and management
* `org.bukkit.event.*` - Event system
* `org.bukkit.plugin.*` - Plugin management
* `org.bukkit.command.*` - Command system

### Paper Packages

* `io.papermc.paper.event.*` - Paper-specific events
* `io.papermc.paper.entity.*` - Entity enhancements
* `io.papermc.paper.configuration.*` - Configuration system
* `io.papermc.paper.registry.*` - Registry access
* `io.papermc.paper.datapack.*` - Datapack management
* `com.destroystokyo.paper.*` - Legacy Paper APIs

### Adventure Packages

* `net.kyori.adventure.text.*` - Text components
* `net.kyori.adventure.audience.*` - Message recipients
* `net.kyori.adventure.sound.*` - Sound playback

## Getting Started

1. **Add the dependency** to your build configuration
2. **Create a plugin class** extending `JavaPlugin`
3. **Create a paper-plugin.yml** with plugin metadata
4. **Implement your features** using the API
5. **Test with the test-plugin** module or on a server

<Tip>
  Check out the [Plugin Development Guide](/plugins/getting-started) for a complete tutorial.
</Tip>

## API Resources

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Javadocs" icon="book" href="https://papermc.io/javadocs/">
    Complete API reference documentation
  </Card>

  <Card title="Paper Forums" icon="comments" href="https://forums.papermc.io/">
    Community support and discussions
  </Card>

  <Card title="Discord" icon="discord" href="https://discord.gg/papermc">
    Real-time help and community
  </Card>

  <Card title="GitHub" icon="github" href="https://github.com/PaperMC/Paper">
    Source code and issue tracking
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Bukkit API" href="/api/bukkit-api">
    Learn about the core Bukkit API
  </Card>

  <Card title="Paper API" href="/api/paper-api">
    Explore Paper-specific features
  </Card>

  <Card title="Events" href="/api/events">
    Work with the event system
  </Card>
</CardGroup>