Fabric vs Forge — which should I pick?

Pick Fabric for smaller modpacks, performance mods, or if you want to run the latest Minecraft version quickly after release. Pick Forge (or NeoForge) for big traditional modpacks with hundreds of mods — the biggest packs on CurseForge are still Forge-based. If you're running a specific modpack, check its page for which loader it needs — you cannot mix Fabric and Forge mods on the same server.

Can I run Paper plugins on a Fabric server?

No. Fabric is a mod loader, not a plugin server. Paper plugins target the Bukkit API which Fabric does not implement. There is a compatibility layer called CardboardPowered but it's incomplete and not recommended for production.

Which Minecraft versions does Fabric support?

Fabric supports Minecraft 1.14 and newer. It does not exist for 1.13 or earlier. For 1.12.2 and below you need Forge.

What are performance mods?

Server-side performance mods like Lithium, Krypton, ServerCore and FerriteCore optimise Minecraft's internals to reduce CPU, RAM and tick-time load. They can dramatically improve performance on modest hardware without changing gameplay. Most of them target Fabric first.

Download Fabric Server JAR

Fabric is a lightweight, fast-updating mod loader for Minecraft 1.14+. Ideal for smaller modpacks, technical mods and running the latest Minecraft versions on release day.

Latest version

26.1.2

Build 0.18.6

Download JAR

What is Fabric?

Fabric is a modding toolchain and mod loader for Minecraft, designed to be lightweight, fast to update, and friendly to mod developers. Where Forge is a large, feature-rich framework, Fabric is intentionally minimal — it provides the plumbing for mods to run, and nothing else. That makes Fabric the fastest loader to support each new Minecraft release: the Fabric team often has a loader ready within days of a Minecraft version drop, months before Forge and NeoForge catch up. Fabric is especially popular for performance mods like Sodium, Lithium and C2ME, and for smaller curated modpacks.

When should I use Fabric?

Pick Fabric if you want to run mods on a recent Minecraft version and the mods you want are available for Fabric. Pick it if you want to use performance mods like Lithium, Krypton or ServerCore on a modern server. Don't pick Fabric if you're running a big traditional modpack — those tend to target Forge. Check your modpack's loader first.

Setup

Required Java

Java 21 (MC 1.20.5+) · Java 17 (MC 1.17–1.20.4) · Java 8 (MC 1.14–1.16)

Recommended RAM

3–6 GB for small modpacks, 8+ GB for bigger ones

Start script (Linux/macOS)

java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -XX:+UseG1GC -jar fabric-server-launch.jar nogui

Start script (Windows)

java -Xms4G -Xmx4G -XX:+UseG1GC -jar fabric-server-launch.jar nogui
pause

All Fabric versions

Every Fabric build we have ever seen, grouped by Minecraft major version. Click any version to open its dedicated download page.

Show older Minecraft versions (6 majors)

Minecraft 1.19 (5)

1.19.4 1.19.3 1.19.2 1.19.1 1.19

Minecraft 1.18 (3)

1.18.2 1.18.1 1.18

Minecraft 1.17 (2)

1.17.1 1.17

Minecraft 1.16 (6)

1.16.5 1.16.4 1.16.3 1.16.2 1.16.1 1.16

Minecraft 1.15 (3)

1.15.2 1.15.1 1.15

Minecraft 1.14 (5)

1.14.4 1.14.3 1.14.2 1.14.1 1.14

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Frequently asked questions

Other Minecraft server types

Paper Spigot Vanilla Forge NeoForge

← All server types