Minecraft Modpack Server Hosting 2026: NeoForge, Forge, Fabric

You picked a pack, maybe All The Mods 10, Better MC or Prominence II, and now it has to run on a server your group can join. Whether it starts on the first try comes down to four things: the loader, the Java version, the server files and the memory Java gets. This guide covers all four, with file names and heap sizes taken from the packs' own downloads.

Quick answer: For Minecraft modpack server hosting in 2026, run the loader your pack lists. Big packs for Minecraft 1.21.1 use NeoForge (All The Mods 10, Craftoria, FTB StoneBlock 4), many packs that stayed on 1.20.1 use Forge (All the Mods 9, Better MC BMC4), and packs like Prominence II and Homestead use Fabric. Minecraft 1.20.1 needs Java 17, 1.21.1 needs Java 21 and the 26.x versions need Java 25. Download the pack's server files instead of the client zip, start it once with its own script, accept the EULA, and set the Java heap about 1 to 1.5 GB below the server's RAM. All The Mods 10 and StoneBlock 4 ship with an 8 GB heap, so give them 12 GB or more.

Which Loader Your Modpack Needs in 2026

The pack chooses, not you: its CurseForge, Modrinth or FTB page and its server files name the Minecraft version and the loader.

NeoForge is a fork of Forge. NeoForged announced it on 13 July 2023 and wrote that "almost all of the original team has joined the new team". The version number gives away the Minecraft version: in NeoForge's original scheme the first two numbers are Minecraft's minor and patch version, so 21.1.265 is for 1.21.1. Since Minecraft moved to year-based numbers, NeoForge carries the full version, so 26.1.2.126 is for 26.1.2.

Forge is still maintained. Its promotions file listed 47.4.28 as the recommended build for 1.20.1 on 3 November 2026. Packs pin their own build, though (All the Mods 9 ships 47.4.0), so install the one the pack names. Our NeoForge vs Forge guide covers which mods carry over.

Fabric is a separate loader with its own mods. Prominence II and Homestead run on Fabric for 1.20.1, and Cobblemon 1.8.4 (27 October 2026) comes as a Fabric build and a NeoForge build for 1.21.1.

Server Files, Java and RAM for Popular Packs

Checked on 3 November 2026 against each pack's newest files (FTB's own API for StoneBlock 4). "Heap in the files" is the Java memory limit the pack's start files set. Each pack links to our page for it, and "We suggest" is the plan size that page recommends: the heap plus memory for Java itself.

NeoForge packs

Forge packs

Fabric packs

All the Mods 11 is still a beta (0.13.0-beta, 27 October 2026) on NeoForge for Minecraft 26.1.2, which needs Java 25. And the newest client version does not always have server files: on 3 November 2026, Better MC v62hf, Homestead 2.0.1 and StoneBlock 4 1.24.1 had none on CurseForge (FTB's installer covers StoneBlock). Then run the newest version that has them and have every player pick that same version, or wait.

What Is in the Server Files

1. Mods plus a start script. ATM10's ServerFiles-8.4.zip holds the mods and a startserver.sh that installs NeoForge 21.1.265, and stops with "Minecraft 1.21 requires Java 21" when Java is too old.
2. ServerPackCreator layout. Better MC BMC4 and Prominence II ship start scripts and a variables.txt with the Minecraft version, loader, recommended Java and JAVA_ARGS, which holds the heap (-Xmx4G -Xms4G for BMC4).
3. Installer only. Craftoria's 8 KB server zip holds a script that fetches ServerStarter, which downloads NeoForge 21.1.249 and 499 mods. StoneBlock 4 uses FTB's server installer. Homestead ships most mods, but "CurseForge licensing rules forbid us from redistributing 8 required mods inside this server pack", so its README says to run the start script once before uploading to a host.
4. Ready to run. Cave Horror Project's server pack already has Forge 47.4.23 installed in libraries/ and starts with run.sh or run.bat.

Pixelmon is a single mod: install NeoForge for 1.21.1 and put the jar in mods/.

Why not use the client zip? It carries mods pack teams leave off the server: ATM9's client pack lists Oculus, Embeddium and three shader packs that its server files leave out, and the BMC4 server pack ships 58 client-side jars renamed to .jar.disabled.

Minecraft Modpack Hosting Setup, Step by Step

On a hosted server you upload over SFTP and type commands in the panel console; otherwise the steps are the same.

1. Install the right Java. Check with java -version. Mojang's version files ask for Java 8 for 1.12.2 and 1.16.5, Java 17 for 1.18.2 and 1.20.1, Java 21 for 1.21.1 and Java 25 for 26.1 and newer. On a panel, pick it in the startup settings. More in our Java version guide.

2. Download the server files for the exact version your players will use. On CurseForge, open the pack's Files tab, pick the version and look under Additional Files.

3. Unpack them into an empty folder, for example unzip ServerFiles-8.4.zip -d atm10. On a host, upload the zip and unpack it in the file manager.

4. Install the loader if the pack does not. Packs with a start script do this for you. By hand:

   # NeoForge: use the version the pack names
   java -jar neoforge-21.1.265-installer.jar --installServer
   
   # Forge 1.20.1: same idea
   java -jar forge-1.20.1-47.4.0-installer.jar --installServer
   
   # Fabric: download the server launcher, then start it
   curl -OJ https://meta.fabricmc.net/v2/versions/loader/1.20.1/0.19.5/1.1.2/server/jar
   java -Xmx8G -jar fabric-server-mc.1.20.1-loader.0.19.5-launcher.1.1.2.jar nogui
   

   Older guides tell you to run a Forge jar with java -jar. Forge for 1.20.1 and NeoForge do not set up a server that way by default: the installer writes run.sh and run.bat instead. For NeoForge 21.1.265, run.sh starts java @user_jvm_args.txt @libraries/net/neoforged/neoforge/21.1.265/unix_args.txt and run.bat does the same with win_args.txt; Forge uses the matching path under libraries/net/minecraftforge/forge/. Start the server with ./run.sh nogui, or run.bat on Windows.

5. Accept the EULA. Minecraft will not run until eula.txt says eula=true. A plain install stops on its first start and writes that file; some pack scripts, such as Homestead's, ask you instead.

6. Set the heap. On NeoForge and Forge that is the -Xmx line in user_jvm_args.txt, in ServerPackCreator packs it is JAVA_ARGS in variables.txt, and in Craftoria it is maxRam in server-setup-config.yaml. PaperMC advises staying about 1000 to 1500 MB below the RAM you have: "Do you have 8GB of memory? Use 6500MB for safety." On a 12 GB server that leaves about 10.5 GB, so a round 10 GB heap is a safe choice:

   -Xms4G
   -Xmx10G
   

   If the server starts through user_jvm_args.txt, the -Xmx in that file decides, whatever RAM the plan has. ATM10 ships -Xmx8G, so on 16 GB you have to raise it yourself. For the other flags, see our guide to Aikar's flags.

7. Check server.properties before anyone joins. A view-distance of 8 instead of the default 10 is a sensible start on a modded server. Some packs depend on settings here: ATM10 To the Sky only writes its skyblock level-type when no server.properties exists yet, so do not upload an old one before the first start, and FTB says StoneBlock 4 needs enable-command-block=true or some of its structures will not work.

8. Pre-generate the world before your group spreads out. With Chunky, type chunky radius 3000 and then chunky start in the console. Chunky has builds for NeoForge, Forge and Fabric, and the Prominence II and Homestead server packs already include it.

9. Give your players the same version. They install the pack in the CurseForge app, the Modrinth app or the FTB app, at the version the server runs. Our modpack update guide covers moving both sides to a new version later.

On our modpack server hosting, the panel's modpack installer sets up a listed CurseForge or Modrinth pack together with its loader, and anything else goes up over SFTP. In the Netherlands, Germany and Poland, Premium runs on a Ryzen 9 9950X and Standard on an AMD EPYC 7443.

Errors You Will Meet First

• "Minecraft 1.21 requires Java 21" from a pack script, or java.lang.UnsupportedClassVersionError with "class file version 65.0" in the log: the server runs an older Java than the mods were built for. Class file version 61 means Java 17, 65 means Java 21 and 69 means Java 25. Switch Java, not the pack.
• java.lang.OutOfMemoryError: the heap is full. Raise -Xmx in the file the server actually starts from, staying 1 to 1.5 GB below the RAM. If it fills again, the server is too small.
• A mod asks for another mod or version, or Mixin errors after you added one: install exactly the version the log names, or remove the last mod you added and test again.
• Players cannot join: compare the pack version on both sides, remove client-only mods from the server and check that the port is reachable. Simple Voice Chat, which Craftoria, Homestead and Cave Horror Project include, needs its own UDP port, 24454 by default.

For crashes that are harder to read, see our modpack crash fixes.

Checking Performance on Your Own Pack

Performance depends on the pack version, the world and the players. Install spark (builds for NeoForge, Forge and Fabric; several packs above include it), and with your usual players online run /spark tps, /spark health and /spark profiler start --timeout 600 for a ten minute report. Note the heap, the player count and the median and 95th percentile tick time (MSPT), and repeat after every change.

The budget is 50 ms per tick, because the game runs at 20 ticks per second. If your 95th percentile MSPT stays well under 50 with your normal crowd online, you have headroom. If not, the profiler shows which mod uses the time; our 20 TPS guide has more.

Building your own Fabric server? Lithium, C2ME, FerriteCore and Krypton all list builds for 1.20.1, 1.21.1 and 26.3 on Modrinth. Skip Starlight: the project is archived and its README says it "will not receive further updates for the foreseeable future". Finished packs often include some of these already, so check the mods folder first.

FAQ

Which Java version does my modpack server need? The one Mojang sets for the pack's Minecraft version: Java 17 for 1.20.1, Java 21 for 1.21.1, Java 25 for 26.1 and newer, Java 8 for 1.12.2. Some packs accept a newer one; Craftoria's README says "Java 21 or Java 25 is required".

How much RAM does a Minecraft modpack server need? Start from the heap the server files set and add memory for Java itself, about 1 to 1.5 GB by PaperMC's rule. Packs with a 4 GB heap, such as Better MC BMC4 and SkyFactory 5, start at 6 GB. ATM10, ATM9 and StoneBlock 4 set 8 GB, so they start at 12 GB. More players and bigger automation need more.

Can I use the client modpack zip as my server? You can, but then you have to find and remove every client-only mod yourself, such as shader loaders and video settings mods. The pack's server files already leave those out, so use them whenever the pack has them.

Should I pick NeoForge or Forge for my modpack server? Whichever your pack names: for the 1.21.1 packs above that is NeoForge (ATM10, Craftoria, StoneBlock 4, Pixelmon), for most of the 1.20.1 packs Forge. Install the exact loader version from the server files, not just the newest.

Can I host a Modrinth modpack on a server? Yes. Modrinth packs come as an .mrpack file, and many publish no separate server pack there: Prominence II v4.1.6 is only an .mrpack on Modrinth, while its CurseForge page has the server pack. Use the server pack when one exists, or a panel installer that reads Modrinth packs.

Sources

All opened on 3 November 2026:

• Mojang: version manifest and the version files it links for 1.12.2, 1.16.5, 1.18.2, 1.20.1, 1.21.1, 26.1, 26.1.2, 26.2 and 26.3 (javaVersion)
• NeoForged: The project announcement, versioning docs, Maven version list, the 21.1.265 installer (run.sh, user_jvm_args.txt) and its installer source (--installServer)
• Forge: promotions file, the 1.20.1-47.4.28 installer (run.sh, user_jvm_args.txt)
• Fabric: loader versions, installer versions, the server page source (curl and java commands)
• CurseForge files lists: All The Mods 10, All the Mods 11, Craftoria, FTB StoneBlock 4, All the Mods 9, Better MC BMC4, Cave Horror Project, SkyFactory 5, DeceasedCraft, Vault Hunters 3rd Edition, RLCraft, Prominence II, Homestead
• FTB: StoneBlock 4 on feed-the-beast.com and FTB's modpack API for version 1.24.1 (NeoForge 21.1.262, 6 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended)
• Modrinth: Pixelmon, Cobblemon, spark, Chunky, Lithium, C2ME, FerriteCore, Krypton, Prominence II
• PaperMC: Aikar's flags
• spark: command usage
• Chunky: commands
• Simple Voice Chat: self-hosted server setup
• Oracle: Java Virtual Machine Specification, chapter 4 (class file versions) and the Java SE 25 edition
• Starlight: README on GitHub
• Minecraft Wiki: Tick, server.properties (view-distance default)
• Server file contents (start scripts, heaps, mod counts) as read from each pack's server zip and recorded on our pack pages; on 3 November 2026 none of those packs had newer server files than the versions in the tables.