Which server software should I choose for my Minecraft server?
Minecraft is one of the most customizable and modifiable games our there. With over 10 years of existence and a community with billions of users, it pretty much goes without saying that there is a lot this game has to offer.
When hosting a Minecraft server, you, as a server owner, have to decide what it will 'play' like. The gamemode(s) it will run, plugins it will use, mods it will have and overall what your 'vision' of the server is. This will allow you to properly select which server software your server will run on.
Before we even dive into server software, we first need to define some basic concepts related to it:
Plugins: Plugins are server-side modifications that might alter several aspects of gameplay behavior and don't require any modifications on the client side, meaning your players don't have to install anything else than Minecraft in order to experience these modifications. Plugins are very useful if you want to provide your users with additional features in your server without requiring them to install anything on their end. This, of course, comes with a few drawbacks and limitations, like the inability to change most (if any) aspects of the core game (blocks, custom items, custom interfaces, etc.).
Mods: Mods are modifications on both the server and the client (user) side. These tend to change gameplay dramatically by adding new features, blocks and 'logic' into the game. Mods, however, are usually less compatible between themselves when compared to plugins, which causes them to be less predictable and more unstable, leading to the creation of Modpacks.
Modpacks: Modpacks could be defined as a 'curated' selection of mods (sometimes mods and plugins) proven and tested to work together seamlessly. Modpacks are usually an amazing starting point if you want to drastically change the way your Minecraft server plays, adding huge amounts of new blocks to place, biomes to explore and items to use.
Given these concepts, we can now talk about server software.
Minecraft server software is nothing else than the program in charge of running your Minecraft server. This program is responsible for generating and loading your Minecraft world, injecting mods to it, loading plugins into it and doing many other things related to your Minecraft experience. Your server software should never be changed once your Minecraft server is started, as by doing so, you could be running into compatibility issues between server softwares and the way they handle world, mod and plugin data.
There are 4 main server software options to choose from when running a Minecraft server. While there are many other options, these tend to be 'forks' (modified versions) of any of these four. We'll now describe them one by one to make the selection process as easy as it can be for you:
Vanilla: This is the name given to the official, unmodified server software provided by Microsoft and Mojang every time a new Minecraft version is released. If you don't plan to run any plugins nor mods and you just want the official Minecraft experience in your server, this could be a very good option. Vanilla, however, doesn't include any of the performance and gameplay optimizations provided by many other software options. If you plan on having many players in your server, you might want to explore other options.
Paper or PaperMC: Paper is the most popular Minecraft server software out there. Based on Spigot, this server software is heavily optimized (hence it's name) and includes support for any Bukkit, Spigot or Paper plugins, allowing you to run a big Minecraft server with many server-side modifications installed. If you don't really know anything about Minecraft servers, chances are high that Paper is the best option for you.
Forge / Fabric: Both Forge and Fabric are Minecraft server software options that include mod loaders, meaning they have the ability to inject mods that are to be installed in both the server and the client side. Fabric is a more 'modern', optimized and streamlined mod loading option, while Forge is the classic, traditional mod loading alternative. As a general rule, Fabric is more optimized than Forge, but Forge comes with better mod compatibility.
BungeeCord / Waterfall / Velocity: These three are server proxies, and are not considered to be Minecraft server software options. Proxies are in charge of connecting many servers together by acting as a... well, proxy, haha! Explaining how these work would be well outside the scope of this article, so we'll limit their capabilities to that for now.
Minecraft server software is definitely a very big world and can get confusing at times. If you need any help choosing which server fits you the best, don't hesitate in letting us know by chatting with us.
When hosting a Minecraft server, you, as a server owner, have to decide what it will 'play' like. The gamemode(s) it will run, plugins it will use, mods it will have and overall what your 'vision' of the server is. This will allow you to properly select which server software your server will run on.
Before we even dive into server software, we first need to define some basic concepts related to it:
Plugins: Plugins are server-side modifications that might alter several aspects of gameplay behavior and don't require any modifications on the client side, meaning your players don't have to install anything else than Minecraft in order to experience these modifications. Plugins are very useful if you want to provide your users with additional features in your server without requiring them to install anything on their end. This, of course, comes with a few drawbacks and limitations, like the inability to change most (if any) aspects of the core game (blocks, custom items, custom interfaces, etc.).
Mods: Mods are modifications on both the server and the client (user) side. These tend to change gameplay dramatically by adding new features, blocks and 'logic' into the game. Mods, however, are usually less compatible between themselves when compared to plugins, which causes them to be less predictable and more unstable, leading to the creation of Modpacks.
Modpacks: Modpacks could be defined as a 'curated' selection of mods (sometimes mods and plugins) proven and tested to work together seamlessly. Modpacks are usually an amazing starting point if you want to drastically change the way your Minecraft server plays, adding huge amounts of new blocks to place, biomes to explore and items to use.
Given these concepts, we can now talk about server software.
Minecraft server software is nothing else than the program in charge of running your Minecraft server. This program is responsible for generating and loading your Minecraft world, injecting mods to it, loading plugins into it and doing many other things related to your Minecraft experience. Your server software should never be changed once your Minecraft server is started, as by doing so, you could be running into compatibility issues between server softwares and the way they handle world, mod and plugin data.
There are 4 main server software options to choose from when running a Minecraft server. While there are many other options, these tend to be 'forks' (modified versions) of any of these four. We'll now describe them one by one to make the selection process as easy as it can be for you:
Vanilla: This is the name given to the official, unmodified server software provided by Microsoft and Mojang every time a new Minecraft version is released. If you don't plan to run any plugins nor mods and you just want the official Minecraft experience in your server, this could be a very good option. Vanilla, however, doesn't include any of the performance and gameplay optimizations provided by many other software options. If you plan on having many players in your server, you might want to explore other options.
Paper or PaperMC: Paper is the most popular Minecraft server software out there. Based on Spigot, this server software is heavily optimized (hence it's name) and includes support for any Bukkit, Spigot or Paper plugins, allowing you to run a big Minecraft server with many server-side modifications installed. If you don't really know anything about Minecraft servers, chances are high that Paper is the best option for you.
Forge / Fabric: Both Forge and Fabric are Minecraft server software options that include mod loaders, meaning they have the ability to inject mods that are to be installed in both the server and the client side. Fabric is a more 'modern', optimized and streamlined mod loading option, while Forge is the classic, traditional mod loading alternative. As a general rule, Fabric is more optimized than Forge, but Forge comes with better mod compatibility.
BungeeCord / Waterfall / Velocity: These three are server proxies, and are not considered to be Minecraft server software options. Proxies are in charge of connecting many servers together by acting as a... well, proxy, haha! Explaining how these work would be well outside the scope of this article, so we'll limit their capabilities to that for now.
Minecraft server software is definitely a very big world and can get confusing at times. If you need any help choosing which server fits you the best, don't hesitate in letting us know by chatting with us.
Updated on: 03/02/2024
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