Paper 1.21.11 is now selectable in your console under Server Versions, for both Paper and Vanilla. One click, your server reinstalls in about a minute, and your world and plugins stay exactly where they are.
Why this one matters more than the version number suggests: 1.21.11 is the last release of the 1.21 line. Minecraft 26.x is newer, but there is still no Paper build for it — so 26.2 on ShadowNode runs Vanilla only, without plugins. If you run EssentialsX, LuckPerms, WorldGuard, an anticheat or anything else from SpigotMC, then 1.21.11 is the newest version you can actually be on today.
It also lands you on a version that plugin authors have had months to catch up with. The 1.21 line is where most of the plugin ecosystem sits right now, and 1.21.11 is the most patched point in it — Paper shipped 92 builds for this version.
The Java side is handled for you. Paper 1.21.11 needs Java 21; we detect that from the version you pick and start the server on the matching runtime automatically. No image to choose, no startup flags to edit. The same logic covers everything from 1.16 (Java 11) up to 26.x (Java 25).
One thing worth knowing before you switch: going up a version keeps your world, going back down does not. Minecraft migrates a world forward when it loads it, and that migration is one-way — a 1.21.11 world will not open on 1.21.4 again. We block downgrades in the console for exactly that reason, so a wrong click cannot cost you your map. If you want to try a newer version without risk, take a backup first from the Backups tab.
Available now on every Minecraft plan. Console → Server Versions → Paper → 1.21.11 → Apply.