Which Minecraft server software is right for me?
We offer a wide variety of Minecraft server software, available to install at the click of a button under your Software tab on panel.lilypad.gg
Some of the most common server software have been outlined below, along with the reasons why you should use them:
A highly optimized Paper fork designed for large servers requiring both maximum performance, stability, and enterprise features.
We recommend using Pufferfish for the vast majority of servers, as it offers the best performance and is capable of handling the largest number of players. Although it isn't simply a drag-and-drop solution for optimising your server, it can certainly help with large entity counts, making it perfect for survival communities/SMPs. Pufferfish (and other Paper forks) will support most Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugins, however it is not a modded server version – you will instead need Fabric or Forge which are described down below.
We also offer automatic Geyser installation on Pufferfish, Paper and Purpur, which will enable cross-platform Bedrock support for your server. Read this guide to find out more.
A drop-in replacement for Paper servers designed for configurability, and new fun and exciting gameplay features
Purpur makes use of Pufferfish "patches" to offer similar performance benefits, while also providing additional configurability that makes it perfect for semi-vanilla servers. This ranges from being able to change entity/mob behaviour, to changing gameplay mechanics which may offer your players a more unique experience.
Paper is great, but Pufferfish and Purpur offer the stability of Paper with added performance benefits. There's nothing wrong with using Paper, though! Because Pufferfish and Purpur depend on Paper, it'll always be the first plugin-based software to be released following a Minecraft update.
A modular modding toolchain targeting Minecraft 1.14 and above.
If you're wanting to run a modded server, use Fabric whenever possible! It's much lighter weight than Forge meaning better performance for your server, and Fabric mods are generally higher quality than those made for Forge. More and more servers are switching over to Fabric, so there's a large array of mods available and most servers will run smoothly with little to no configuration.
Keep in mind your players will need Fabric installed on their clients, along with the mods that have been added to the server, in order to join. The easiest way is to download the Fabric installer from fabricmc.net, then add the corresponding mods to your client's mods folder. We already install a few mods on your Fabric server but these aren't necessarily required on your players' clients.
We even provide a Fabric + Origins and Fabric + Valkyrien Skies preinstallation which can be selected for supported versions while reinstalling your server under the Software tab.
The original modding API for Minecraft.
There are plenty of mods and modpacks available for Forge, but it can sometimes come at the cost of performance, or trouble diagnosing errors when they arise. Although Forge servers can work great, we generally recommend Fabric due to it being more lightweight and better supported by modern mods.
Again, your players will need Forge installed on their clients which they can do so via files.minecraftforge.net – make sure they have the corresponding mods installed too!
Quilt is a relatively new contender to the modded server software scene, offering extended functionality for developers on top of Fabric, however there isn't much reason why your server would need it – we instead recommend running Fabric with the necessary performance mods, like the ones we pre-install on your server.
There is plenty of other software available out there, but please remember to consider stability and performance when choosing which one to use – you don't want to wake up and find your world folder has suddenly become corrupted overnight! cough Yatopia
We advise against using "hybrid" server software like Mohist and Magma which, although offer the benefits of both modded and Spigot-based servers, is nowhere near as stable as alternative software. The EssentialsX team has written a post on why this sort of software is dangerous, which you can view here.
Some of the most common server software have been outlined below, along with the reasons why you should use them:
🐡 Pufferfish
A highly optimized Paper fork designed for large servers requiring both maximum performance, stability, and enterprise features.
We recommend using Pufferfish for the vast majority of servers, as it offers the best performance and is capable of handling the largest number of players. Although it isn't simply a drag-and-drop solution for optimising your server, it can certainly help with large entity counts, making it perfect for survival communities/SMPs. Pufferfish (and other Paper forks) will support most Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugins, however it is not a modded server version – you will instead need Fabric or Forge which are described down below.
We also offer automatic Geyser installation on Pufferfish, Paper and Purpur, which will enable cross-platform Bedrock support for your server. Read this guide to find out more.
🦑 Purpur
A drop-in replacement for Paper servers designed for configurability, and new fun and exciting gameplay features
Purpur makes use of Pufferfish "patches" to offer similar performance benefits, while also providing additional configurability that makes it perfect for semi-vanilla servers. This ranges from being able to change entity/mob behaviour, to changing gameplay mechanics which may offer your players a more unique experience.
What about Paper?
Paper is great, but Pufferfish and Purpur offer the stability of Paper with added performance benefits. There's nothing wrong with using Paper, though! Because Pufferfish and Purpur depend on Paper, it'll always be the first plugin-based software to be released following a Minecraft update.
🧵 Fabric
A modular modding toolchain targeting Minecraft 1.14 and above.
If you're wanting to run a modded server, use Fabric whenever possible! It's much lighter weight than Forge meaning better performance for your server, and Fabric mods are generally higher quality than those made for Forge. More and more servers are switching over to Fabric, so there's a large array of mods available and most servers will run smoothly with little to no configuration.
Keep in mind your players will need Fabric installed on their clients, along with the mods that have been added to the server, in order to join. The easiest way is to download the Fabric installer from fabricmc.net, then add the corresponding mods to your client's mods folder. We already install a few mods on your Fabric server but these aren't necessarily required on your players' clients.
We even provide a Fabric + Origins and Fabric + Valkyrien Skies preinstallation which can be selected for supported versions while reinstalling your server under the Software tab.
🔨 Forge
The original modding API for Minecraft.
There are plenty of mods and modpacks available for Forge, but it can sometimes come at the cost of performance, or trouble diagnosing errors when they arise. Although Forge servers can work great, we generally recommend Fabric due to it being more lightweight and better supported by modern mods.
Again, your players will need Forge installed on their clients which they can do so via files.minecraftforge.net – make sure they have the corresponding mods installed too!
What about Quilt?
Quilt is a relatively new contender to the modded server software scene, offering extended functionality for developers on top of Fabric, however there isn't much reason why your server would need it – we instead recommend running Fabric with the necessary performance mods, like the ones we pre-install on your server.
Other server software
There is plenty of other software available out there, but please remember to consider stability and performance when choosing which one to use – you don't want to wake up and find your world folder has suddenly become corrupted overnight! cough Yatopia
We advise against using "hybrid" server software like Mohist and Magma which, although offer the benefits of both modded and Spigot-based servers, is nowhere near as stable as alternative software. The EssentialsX team has written a post on why this sort of software is dangerous, which you can view here.
Updated on: 18/06/2024
Thank you!