Fabric, Forge or NeoForge: which Minecraft mod loader?

1. Write down the three to five mods you care about most, or the modpack you want.
2. Look each one up on CurseForge or Modrinth. The page shows which loaders and Minecraft versions it supports.
3. Pick the loader and version that all of them share. That is your server.

Playing a modpack? Then there is nothing to decide: the pack sets the loader and the version. Install a modpack handles that for you.

Modders follow the players, so each Minecraft version has a loader where most of its mods ended up:

All of these versions can be chosen under Server software in Settings, together with the loader.

Fabric is small and quick to update. It usually supports a new Minecraft version within days, so it is the loader of choice if you want to play the newest release with mods.

• Strong on performance mods, such as Lithium and FerriteCore, which make the server lighter without changing the game.
• Strong on light and medium packs, and on vanilla plus: the normal game with extras.
• Most Fabric mods need the library Fabric API installed as well.

Forge is the oldest loader and has the biggest back catalogue. Many famous packs live on it, on versions such as 1.12.2, 1.16.5, 1.18.2 and 1.20.1.

For newer Minecraft versions, many large mods have moved to NeoForge. If you want an older pack or a classic set of big tech and magic mods, Forge is often the answer.

NeoForge started as a continuation of Forge by most of its developers. On recent Minecraft versions it is where many of the big mods are: Create, Mekanism, Applied Energistics and packs like All The Mods.

It feels like Forge to use. The difference that matters to you is simply which mods support it for the version you want.

In 2023 most of the Forge developers continued as NeoForge. On Minecraft 1.20.1, where the split happened, many Forge mods still load on NeoForge. From 1.20.2 on the two went separate ways, and a mod built for one does not load on the other.

• On 1.20.1: pick Forge. Almost every mod for that version was made for it.
• On 1.20.2 and newer: check each mod. Most big mods publish for NeoForge, some for both.
• A file that says Forge on a newer version will not run on a NeoForge server, even if the mod has the same name.

Moving from Paper to a modded server means leaving plugins behind. For most of the jobs they did, there is a mod:

Server side mods like these do not have to be installed by players, unless the mod page says so. Voice chat is the exception: every player who wants to talk needs it in their own game.

1. Open Settings and set the server type to Fabric, Forge or NeoForge, and the Minecraft version your mods share. The matching Java version is set with it.
2. Open the Mods tab and search for your mods. Each one is installed in the version that matches your loader.
3. Restart the server and read the console. A missing library mod is named there.
4. Give your players the same mod list. Join a modded server explains their side.

Changing the loader of a world that already has modded blocks removes those blocks when their mod is gone. Make a backup before any switch.

The world itself comes along: a vanilla or Paper world loads on Fabric, Forge and NeoForge. What stays behind is everything plugins did.

• Claims, homes, ranks and shops of plugins stop working. Their data stays in the plugins folder, but nothing reads it.
• Protected areas are open again until claims are set up in the new mod.
• Players need the loader and the mods in their own game, where before they could join with the normal game.

Make a backup, change the server type in Settings, and set up the mods for the jobs your plugins did before you open the server again.