Waterfall vs Velocity: Which Proxy Should You Pick?

Waterfall and Velocity are both modern Minecraft proxies from the PaperMC team. They serve the same purpose but have different strengths. Here's how to choose.

Quick verdict

• Pick Velocity if you're starting fresh and want maximum performance and security.
• Pick Waterfall if you need BungeeCord plugin compatibility.

The big difference: plugin API

This is the make-or-break factor:

• Waterfall uses the BungeeCord API. Every BungeeCord plugin works.
• Velocity uses its own modern API. Most BungeeCord plugins do NOT work — they need a Velocity-specific port.

If you have a list of BungeeCord plugins you depend on, check whether each has a Velocity version before considering switching.

Performance

Velocity is significantly faster than Waterfall. It's built from scratch with modern async I/O and lock-free data structures. On a busy network, the performance gap matters.

Security

Velocity has stronger security defaults:

• Built-in proxy security (no need for BungeeGuard)
• Better protection against backend bypass
• Modern player info forwarding scheme

Configuration

Velocity uses TOML for configuration, which some find cleaner than YAML. Functionally it's similar to Waterfall.

Plugin ecosystem in 2026

Velocity's plugin ecosystem has grown significantly. Most major plugin types now have Velocity versions:

• LiteBans (Velocity port)
• LuckPerms (Velocity)
• Plan (Velocity)
• Velocitab (replaces BungeeTabListPlus)
• VelocityChat / SignedVelocity

However, Waterfall's plugin library is still much larger because it inherits the entire BungeeCord ecosystem.

Migration friction

• BungeeCord → Waterfall — trivial. JAR swap.
• BungeeCord/Waterfall → Velocity — significant. Different config format, plugin replacements needed.

When Waterfall is clearly the right choice

• You have an existing BungeeCord network and want incremental improvements
• You depend on BungeeCord-only plugins
• You want minimal migration friction

When Velocity is clearly the right choice

• You're building a new network from scratch
• You want maximum performance
• You care about modern security defaults
• The plugins you need have Velocity versions

Both on FreeMCServers.org

You can run a Waterfall server, a BungeeCord server, and (when supported) Velocity all as separate instances. Try them and pick what works for your network.