Server Jars
Server Jars
Recommended Software:
Paper
Paper is a fork of Spigot and aims to have better performance and stability. It also has an expanded API, allowing plugins to become even faster. This jar is highly recommended as it fixes exploits, bugs, and more as well as it greatly improves performance and stability of any Minecraft server.
Paper works with Bukkit and Spigot plugins and is the recommended default jar.
Modded Minecraft:
- Forge
- Fabric
- Neoforge
Forge
Forge is a jar that adds a modding API for developers to tap into. It is much more expansive than Bukkit, as players also have to install mods on their end, allowing for more possibilites. It's recommended for mods and modpacks. Mostly used for older versions of the game. (pre1.12)
What is Forge?
Forge is a modding API for Minecraft. Users who download and install Minecraft Forge can install mods (modifications) to Minecraft Instances.
Installation
First, navigate to the Settings tab and find Change Server Type. Once there set up the change server type menu for installing forge.
On this menu set version to that required by your mods and build to the latest one available (top of the list).
Once the Change Server Type menu has been configured, press the Change Server Type button, this will prompt you to make a backup and it is advised to do so.
Once the server has started again and finished running the installer you can go on to install mods!
Installing Forge Mods
Refer to this guide.
Fabric
Fabric is a jar that makes modding easier and smoother than Forge. Fabric is considered superior to Forge due to a better API that is more documented. It's mostly used for more modern versions of the game.
Fabric, with a few performance mods added, is recommended if you want to run a modern technical MC server.
What is Fabric?
"Fabric is a lightweight, experimental modding toolchain for Minecraft."
Mods can be used to modify, remove or even add new content to Minecraft.
Installing Fabric
Go the the Settings tab on the panel and on the right side you will see Change Server Type box. Edit the boxes to the fabric version you would like to use.
Click Change Server Type, this will download fabric to your server.
You are now done, you are running a fabric server!
It's a server without mods though, so it's still purely vanilla at this point, keep reading to learn how to install mods.
Installing Fabric Mods
Refer to this guide.
NeoForge
NeoForge is a jar that adds the modding api of Forge, and performance of Fabric. While still being new and becoming widely adopted. Used in modern versions of the game.
What is Neoforge?
"Neoforge is a new mod loader that incorperates Neoforge performance and Forge api"
Mods can be used to modify, remove or even add new content to Minecraft.
Installing Neoforge
Go the the Settings tab on the panel and on the right side you will see Change Server Type box.
Edit the boxes to the Neoforge version you would like to use.
Click Change Server Type, this will download Neoforge to your server.
You are now done, you are running a Neoforge server!
It's a server without mods though, so it's still purely vanilla at this point, keep reading to learn how to install mods.
Installing Neoforge Mods
Refer to this guide.
Other popular options:
Some popular Jars such as Mohist/Magma attempt to merge Bukkit and Forge to allow the use of Plugins and Mods in the same enviorment, while popular these implementations can end up combining the issues of both server types and be unstable as a result.
- Pufferfish
- Purpur
- Spongepowered
Pufferfish
"A highly optimized Paper fork designed for large servers requiring both maximum performance, stability, and "enterprise" features."
Pufferfish is a fork of paper (and as such also includes all of the improvements paper adds) that aims to add even more performance optimizations over paper. It includes every change that airplane used to have. And adds some of its own changes too.
Purpur
"Purpur is a drop-in replacement for Paper servers designed for configurability and new, fun, exciting gameplay features.
"
Purpur aims to make your server more configurable, it adds a lot of fun or useful (all off by default) configuration options to your server, it adds these on top of the paper and pufferfish improvements.
Sponge
Sponge is an API designed to work with forge allowing the use of mods and plugins together in a stable environment. Currently, Sponge is recommended if you want modpacks and plugins together as smoothly as possible. However, Sponge does not support any sort of Spigot/Paper plugins as it's a completely different software.