# Sponge

A Minecraft plugin API

Repository: https://github.com/SpongePowered/SpongeAPI
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/sponge
Homepage: http://www.spongepowered.org/
Language: Java
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: spongeapi, java, gradle, minecraft, sponge, spongepowered, api, hacktoberfest
Last push: 2026-08-18T18:05:46+00:00
Link (homepage): http://www.spongepowered.org/
Link (site_page): https://docs.spongepowered.org
Link (site_page): https://jd.spongepowered.org
Link (site_page): https://docs.spongepowered.org/
Link (site_page): https://docs.spongepowered.org/stable/en/contributing/index.html

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 83/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 98, release rhythm 53, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 4378, "days_push": 15, "days_rel": 234, "gap_med": 78, "n_releases_24m": 6}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 1173, forks 340 (observed 2026-08-28T04:03:51.815637+00:00)

## What it is
SpongeAPI is a mature, community-driven plugin API for Minecraft: Java Edition, providing the interface layer that plugin developers code against. Implementations such as SpongeForge, SpongeVanilla, and SpongeNeo run Sponge plugins on Forge, Vanilla, and NeoForge servers respectively.

## Use cases
- write plugins for a Minecraft server
- create a Minecraft modding API plugin in Java
- run plugins alongside Forge mods
- develop server plugins without touching Minecraft internals
- build a custom Minecraft game mode or minigame plugin
- migrate Bukkit-style plugins to a modern Minecraft API

## When to choose
- you are developing Java plugins for Minecraft servers and want a stable, well-documented API
- you need plugins to run together with Forge or NeoForge mods
- you want a community-driven, MIT-licensed alternative to Bukkit/Spigot

## When to avoid
- you only need client-side mods rather than server plugins
- you want a ready-to-run server out of the box - SpongeAPI is just the API, you need SpongeForge/SpongeVanilla/SpongeNeo
- you target Bedrock Edition or non-Java Minecraft platforms

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: active
- function: sdk, plugin-system, api-framework
- domain: gaming-tools
- platform: jvm, cross-platform
- tags: minecraft-plugin-api, spongepowered, minecraft-modding, forge, neoforge, server-plugins, game-development, minecraft

## Member repositories
- SpongePowered/SpongeAPI (main) score 83
- SpongePowered/SpongeForge (plugin) score 10

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:51.815637+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T06:28:20.100600+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/SpongePowered/SpongeAPI (fetched 2026-08-28T04:03:51.815637+00:00, sha 169b49253d9c)
  - homepage: http://www.spongepowered.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:33:38.860764+00:00, sha 17cafbbf8f8b)
  - site_page: https://docs.spongepowered.org (fetched 2026-08-29T12:33:38.869758+00:00, sha 0888b5e6a579)
  - site_page: https://docs.spongepowered.org/ (fetched 2026-08-29T12:33:38.873295+00:00, sha 0888b5e6a579)
  - site_page: https://docs.spongepowered.org/stable/en/contributing/index.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:33:38.875265+00:00, sha 6fe0fd97163a)
  - site_page: https://docs.spongepowered.org/stable/en/about/staff.html (fetched 2026-08-29T12:33:38.876804+00:00, sha a8e9ecf46f17)
  - site_page: https://jd.spongepowered.org (fetched 2026-08-29T12:33:38.871633+00:00, sha 0a994ada70af)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.