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:
The original modding platform for Minecraft.
Forge is the most popular modded server software, and offers a wide range of mods and modpacks to add custom content to your server. You can install the majority of modpacks in a single click via the Modpacks tab in our panel.
Forge isn't the easiest when it comes to diagnosing issues with your server, and we recommend running tried and tested modpacks where possible as opposed to building custom ones which cannot be guaranteed to be stable, or have mods that are compatible with each other. It's also typically more resource intensive than Fabric, so may require
You and your players will need Forge and the modpack installed on their clients which they can do via the CurseForge launcher in a single click. Alternatively, you can install Forge manually via their website.
A great modding platform offering the best performance.
If you're wanting to run a modded server, we recommend using Fabric whenever possible as it'll make your life easier when diagnosing any issues. We find that issues with custom Fabric modpacks are much rarer, and they typically perform better due to the software being more optimised and Fabric mods generally being higher quality. It won't have as many mods available as Forge though, but there are still many on CurseForge and Modrinth.
Again, your players will need Fabric and the necessary mods installed on their clients. If installing manually rather than through the CurseForge launcher (recommended for modpacks), you can 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 required on your players' clients.
We even provide the option to add the Origins mod or Valkyrien Skies to your server during installation, both of which are some great mods that we recommend!
A Minecraft game server based on Spigot, allowing for the use of plugins to add functionality to the game.
If you're wanting to run a non-modded server but still want to be able to customise it, Paper is the way to go, offering great performance and capable of handling dozens if not hundreds of players. There's a variety of plugins available on sites like Modrinth and SpigotMC, supporting any compatible Bukkit or Spigot plugins too.
You can even enable crossplay on your Paper server with Lilypad in a single click, allowing Bedrock players to join and play alongside Java players. Read this guide to find out more.
Drop-in replacements for Paper servers designed for performance and configurability.
Pufferfish and Purpur are both based on paper, and offer additional configuration options along with performance improvements for servers with particularly high player counts. It's possible to run multiple hundreds of players on a Pufferfish/Purpur server if optimised correctly.
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 Paper-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:
🔨 Forge
The original modding platform for Minecraft.
Forge is the most popular modded server software, and offers a wide range of mods and modpacks to add custom content to your server. You can install the majority of modpacks in a single click via the Modpacks tab in our panel.
Forge isn't the easiest when it comes to diagnosing issues with your server, and we recommend running tried and tested modpacks where possible as opposed to building custom ones which cannot be guaranteed to be stable, or have mods that are compatible with each other. It's also typically more resource intensive than Fabric, so may require
You and your players will need Forge and the modpack installed on their clients which they can do via the CurseForge launcher in a single click. Alternatively, you can install Forge manually via their website.
🧵 Fabric
A great modding platform offering the best performance.
If you're wanting to run a modded server, we recommend using Fabric whenever possible as it'll make your life easier when diagnosing any issues. We find that issues with custom Fabric modpacks are much rarer, and they typically perform better due to the software being more optimised and Fabric mods generally being higher quality. It won't have as many mods available as Forge though, but there are still many on CurseForge and Modrinth.
Again, your players will need Fabric and the necessary mods installed on their clients. If installing manually rather than through the CurseForge launcher (recommended for modpacks), you can 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 required on your players' clients.
We even provide the option to add the Origins mod or Valkyrien Skies to your server during installation, both of which are some great mods that we recommend!
📜 Paper
A Minecraft game server based on Spigot, allowing for the use of plugins to add functionality to the game.
If you're wanting to run a non-modded server but still want to be able to customise it, Paper is the way to go, offering great performance and capable of handling dozens if not hundreds of players. There's a variety of plugins available on sites like Modrinth and SpigotMC, supporting any compatible Bukkit or Spigot plugins too.
You can even enable crossplay on your Paper server with Lilypad in a single click, allowing Bedrock players to join and play alongside Java players. Read this guide to find out more.
🐡 Pufferfish and 🦑 Purpur
Drop-in replacements for Paper servers designed for performance and configurability.
Pufferfish and Purpur are both based on paper, and offer additional configuration options along with performance improvements for servers with particularly high player counts. It's possible to run multiple hundreds of players on a Pufferfish/Purpur server if optimised correctly.
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 Paper-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: 29/04/2025
Thank you!