Minecraft Forge/Fabric Setup

Forge and Fabric are the two main mod loaders for Minecraft Java Edition. This guide covers installing either one on your NovaStack server and adding mods.

1. Deploy a new server and choose Minecraft: Forge as the game in the catalogue — the mod loader is selected at creation and cannot be switched on an existing Paper server.
2. Select the Forge version that matches your desired Minecraft version.
3. Save and restart. NovaStack will download and install Forge automatically.
4. A /mods/ folder will appear in your server files.

Tip: Forge is best for large modpacks like Feed The Beast (FTB), All The Mods (ATM), or Create-based packs.

1. Deploy a new server and choose Minecraft: Fabric as the game in the catalogue (the mod loader cannot be changed on an existing server).
2. Select the Fabric loader version.
3. Restart the server.
4. Upload the Fabric API mod to /mods/ (most Fabric mods require it).

Fabric is lightweight and loads faster than Forge. It's ideal for performance mods (Sodium, Lithium, Starlight) and lightweight modded servers.

1. Download mod .jar files from CurseForge or Modrinth.
2. Check that the mod is for the correct loader (Forge or Fabric) and Minecraft version.
3. Upload to the /mods/ folder via File Manager or SFTP.
4. Check for dependencies — many mods require libraries like Architectury, Cloth Config, or GeckoLib.
5. Restart the server.

Important: Players must install the exact same mods on their client. Share a CurseForge or Modrinth modpack profile to make this easy.

• Server crashes on start — check the crash report in /crash-reports/. Usually a version mismatch or missing dependency.
• Mod not loading — verify the mod is for the correct Minecraft version AND the correct loader.
• "Mod X requires Mod Y" — download the missing dependency and add it to /mods/.
• Client can't connect — ensure client and server have identical mod lists and versions.