After a few weeks of players complaining that your plugins aren’t unique, or when you wake up one morning and realise your Enjin subscription just expired and think “I wish I used something better!”… it’s time to find developers.
This guide covers which types of developers to hire, where to look for them, and the common mistakes people make. Once your server is up and running, you’ll almost certainly need developers at some point. Finding good ones is tricky; they’re like fish at the bottom of the sea.
MC-Market and Fiverr are solid places to hire, but keep in mind that most of those developers are focused on short-term paid projects. Your best long-term options are often posting a “Now Hiring” thread on a Minecraft forum or asking around in Discords (just be careful, some servers count staff recruitment as advertising).
Not every developer will stick with you until the end of your server. Most leave once the job is finished, usually because they work for multiple servers at once. Interestingly, developers who work for several servers tend to be the better ones; they’re constantly in demand for a reason.
Most developers specialize in only one area (bot development, web development, etc.). Plugin development is a completely different skill set and requires a Java developer. Developers aren’t apples; they don’t grow on trees. They’re a rare breed of human (they take in pizza and coffee and output code). Once you find a good one, keep them happy.
If your Discord server has 5–10+ bots or just looks messy and unappealing, it’s time to find a bot developer. You’ll usually find them in large bot-related Discord servers, on Fiverr, or on MC-Market.
A solid custom bot should take less than a month. Only request features you actually need (or will need soon). Flashy features that look cool but do nothing are not needed, and should be avoided.
Be prepared to pay. A reasonable range is usually $5–$30. If someone is asking $30+, ask to see previous work and carefully consider what you’re ordering.
So you have web hosting included with your PloxHost plan, or you just want a proper website for your server? There’s a whole species of developers for that, web developers. They come in many different stacks. Flux’s favorite is the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js). Harold’s favorite is probably LAMP (he’s a bit of a boomer).
If you want a full forum and have some budget ($200+), look into XenForo. Be warned: it’s not the easiest thing to set up. If you want a free alternative, try MyBB (also not particularly easy). Both give you solid forum functionality, though XenForo offers better customization and generally better stability. Important: both XenForo and MyBB need to be self-hosted. PloxHost web hosting works great for this.
If you’re trying to save money, a basic WordPress site with a free template will work… but be warned that a lot of players dislike these sites.
Want something more custom? Look for a PHP developer; they can usually get things running on most hosting setups. If you have a VPS or KVM you can install Apache or Nginx yourself and run everything independently.
Can’t find a PHP developer? Look for a JavaScript developer instead. (JavaScript is not the same as Java, JS is a scripting language, while Java runs on the JVM.) Web development is normally split into front-end and back-end. If you find someone who does both, you’ve found your savior. For JavaScript, React or Vue.js are solid front-end choices, and Express.js is the most common back-end framework.
You don’t always need bots or websites. Plugin developers are the rarest breed and require the most care. Custom plugins can take weeks or even months to build, so answer their questions as quickly as possible.
These developers usually get the most access to your server. A bad plugin can delete files, cause serious lag, or worse. Always hire trusted developers from reputable places like Fiverr or MC-Market, and always keep regular backups of your server just in case.
Having at least one plugin developer (short-term or long-term) is almost essential. Servers with unique custom plugins are simply more engaging because most players haven’t experienced those features before.
Post an announcement on your own server looking for developers. Some people are more interested in special in-game ranks or perks than money. This method can work well, but it’s also riskier. (And remember, PloxHost helpers are always around if you need a hand too!).
Be always wary of who you work with, make sure you trust them and do not give them full access to your server. Stay sate out there.
