How to Make a Minecraft Plugin with IntelliJ IDEA: Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

IntelliJ IDEA is the preferred choice for professional Minecraft plugin development, offering powerful features that streamline the development process. This guide will walk you through creating your first plugin using IntelliJ, from setting up your development environment to implementing basic functionality.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following installed on your system:

Java Development Kit (JDK) 17 or newer
IntelliJ IDEA (Community or Ultimate edition)
Git (optional but recommended)

Having these tools ready will ensure a smooth setup process and development experience.

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Installing IntelliJ IDEA

First, let's properly set up IntelliJ IDEA for Minecraft plugin development. While both Community and Ultimate editions work well, we'll focus on the free Community edition for this guide.

Visit the JetBrains website and download IntelliJ IDEA Community Edition
Run the installer and follow the installation wizard
During first launch, select your preferred UI theme and plugins
Install the following plugins from the marketplace:
- Minecraft Development
- Maven Integration
- Java Bytecode Decompiler

These plugins will enhance your development experience with specific tools for Minecraft plugin creation.

Configuring Java Development Kit

Proper JDK configuration is crucial for plugin development. Here's how to set it up:

Open IntelliJ IDEA
Go to File > Project Structure
Under Platform Settings > SDKs, click the + button
Select "JDK" and navigate to your JDK installation directory
Ensure JDK 17 or newer is selected as the project default

Creating Your First Plugin Project

Project Setup

Let's create a new project with the correct structure and dependencies. Follow these steps carefully:

Click "New Project" in IntelliJ
Select "Maven" as the project type
Configure the following settings:
- GroupId: com.yourdomain (e.g., com.example)
- ArtifactId: your-plugin-name (e.g., myfirstplugin)
- Version: 1.0-SNAPSHOT
Click "Next" and "Finish"

Configuring Maven Dependencies

Open your pom.xml file and add the following configuration:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<project xmlns="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0"
         xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance"
         xsi:schemaLocation="http://maven.apache.org/POM/4.0.0 http://maven.apache.org/xsd/maven-4.0.0.xsd">
    <modelVersion>4.0.0</modelVersion>

    <groupId>com.example</groupId>
    <artifactId>myfirstplugin</artifactId>
    <version>1.0-SNAPSHOT</version>

    <properties>
        <maven.compiler.source>17</maven.compiler.source>
        <maven.compiler.target>17</maven.compiler.target>
        <project.build.sourceEncoding>UTF-8</project.build.sourceEncoding>
    </properties>

    <repositories>
        <repository>
            <id>spigot-repo</id>
            <url>https://hub.spigotmc.org/nexus/content/repositories/snapshots/</url>
        </repository>
    </repositories>

    <dependencies>
        <dependency>
            <groupId>org.spigotmc</groupId>
            <artifactId>spigot-api</artifactId>
            <version>1.20.2-R0.1-SNAPSHOT</version>
            <scope>provided</scope>
        </dependency>
    </dependencies>

    <build>
        <plugins>
            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-compiler-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>3.11.0</version>
                <configuration>
                    <source>17</source>
                    <target>17</target>
                </configuration>
            </plugin>
            <plugin>
                <groupId>org.apache.maven.plugins</groupId>
                <artifactId>maven-shade-plugin</artifactId>
                <version>3.5.0</version>
                <executions>
                    <execution>
                        <phase>package</phase>
                        <goals>
                            <goal>shade</goal>
                        </goals>
                    </execution>
                </executions>
            </plugin>
        </plugins>
    </build>
</project>

After adding this configuration, click the Maven refresh button or run mvn clean install to download dependencies.

Creating Essential Files

Every Minecraft plugin requires certain files to function. Let's create them:

Main Plugin Class

Create a new Java class in your source directory:

package com.example.myfirstplugin;

import org.bukkit.plugin.java.JavaPlugin;

public class MyFirstPlugin extends JavaPlugin {
    @Override
    public void onEnable() {
        getLogger().info("Plugin has been enabled!");
    }

    @Override
    public void onDisable() {
        getLogger().info("Plugin has been disabled!");
    }
}

plugin.yml

Create a new file named plugin.yml in the src/main/resources directory:

name: MyFirstPlugin
version: 1.0-SNAPSHOT
main: com.example.myfirstplugin.MyFirstPlugin
api-version: 1.20
author: YourName
description: My first Minecraft plugin

Adding Basic Functionality

Let's add some basic functionality to make our plugin interactive. We'll create a simple command and an event listener.

Creating a Command

First, let's create a command that welcomes players:

package com.example.myfirstplugin.commands;

import org.bukkit.ChatColor;
import org.bukkit.command.Command;
import org.bukkit.command.CommandExecutor;
import org.bukkit.command.CommandSender;
import org.bukkit.entity.Player;

public class WelcomeCommand implements CommandExecutor {
    @Override
    public boolean onCommand(CommandSender sender, Command command, String label, String[] args) {
        if (sender instanceof Player) {
            Player player = (Player) sender;
            player.sendMessage(ChatColor.GREEN + "Welcome to the server!");
            return true;
        }
        return false;
    }
}

@Override
public void onEnable() {
    getCommand("welcome").setExecutor(new WelcomeCommand());
    getLogger().info("Plugin has been enabled!");
}

Add the command to your plugin.yml:

commands:
  welcome:
    description: Sends a welcome message
    usage: /<command>

Adding an Event Listener

Now, let's create an event listener that greets players when they join:

package com.example.myfirstplugin.listeners;

import org.bukkit.ChatColor;
import org.bukkit.event.EventHandler;
import org.bukkit.event.Listener;
import org.bukkit.event.player.PlayerJoinEvent;

public class PlayerJoinListener implements Listener {
    @EventHandler
    public void onPlayerJoin(PlayerJoinEvent event) {
        event.getPlayer().sendMessage(ChatColor.GOLD + "Welcome to the server!");
    }
}

@Override
public void onEnable() {
    getCommand("welcome").setExecutor(new WelcomeCommand());
    getServer().getPluginManager().registerEvents(new PlayerJoinListener(), this);
    getLogger().info("Plugin has been enabled!");
}

Building and Testing

Building Your Plugin

To build your plugin:

Open the Maven tab (usually on the right)
Expand your project
Double-click "package" under Lifecycle
Find your JAR file in the target directory

The build process will create a JAR file that you can use on your Minecraft server.

Testing Your Plugin

Setting up a test environment is crucial for development:

Create a test server directory
Download Spigot or Paper server JAR
Create a start script (start.bat or start.sh)
Copy your plugin JAR to the plugins folder
Start the server and test your plugin

Debugging

IntelliJ IDEA provides powerful debugging capabilities:

Set up Remote JVM Debug configuration:
- Run > Edit Configurations
- Add New Configuration > Remote JVM Debug
- Set port to 5005
Add debugging parameters to your server start script:

java -agentlib:jdwp=transport=dt_socket,server=y,suspend=n,address=5005 -jar spigot.jar

Start your server
Start the debug configuration in IntelliJ
Set breakpoints and debug your code

Best Practices

Code Organization

Keep your code organized using proper package structure:

src/main/java/com/example/myfirstplugin/
├── MyFirstPlugin.java
├── commands/
│   └── WelcomeCommand.java
├── listeners/
│   └── PlayerJoinListener.java
├── config/
│   └── ConfigManager.java
└── utils/
    └── MessageUtils.java

Configuration Management

Implement proper configuration management:

public class ConfigManager {
    private final JavaPlugin plugin;
    private FileConfiguration config;
    
    public ConfigManager(JavaPlugin plugin) {
        this.plugin = plugin;
        loadConfig();
    }
    
    private void loadConfig() {
        plugin.saveDefaultConfig();
        config = plugin.getConfig();
    }
    
    public void reloadConfig() {
        plugin.reloadConfig();
        config = plugin.getConfig();
    }
}

Error Handling

Implement proper error handling and logging:

try {
    // Your code here
} catch (Exception e) {
    plugin.getLogger().severe("An error occurred: " + e.getMessage());
    e.printStackTrace();
}

Common Issues and Solutions

Build Problems

If you encounter build issues:

Check Maven dependencies
Verify Java version compatibility
Clean and rebuild project
Invalidate caches and restart

Runtime Errors

For runtime errors:

Check server console for error messages
Review plugin.yml configuration
Verify event registrations
Check command implementations

Next Steps

After mastering the basics, consider exploring:

Database integration
Custom inventories (GUIs)
Configuration systems
Permissions integration
Plugin metrics

Conclusion

Creating Minecraft plugins with IntelliJ IDEA provides a professional development experience with powerful tools for debugging, refactoring, and code analysis. As you continue developing plugins, remember to:

Keep your code organized
Document your features
Test thoroughly
Handle errors gracefully
Stay updated with Minecraft versions

With these foundations in place, you're well-equipped to create more complex and feature-rich plugins for your Minecraft server.