Install a Fabric or Forge Server and Add Mods

Installing a Fabric or Forge server lets you run mods that change and expand Minecraft, and adding those mods is mostly a matter of dropping files into the right folder.

3 min read · Updated Sep 24, 2026 · By GuavaHost Team

Fabric or Forge: which one

Both are modding platforms, and the mods you want decide which you pick. A mod is built for one or the other, so check the mod page before you start.

• Fabric - lightweight and fast to update to new Minecraft versions. Popular for performance mods like Lithium and for lighter modpacks.
• Forge (and its fork NeoForge) - the long-standing platform behind most big content modpacks.

Whichever you choose, every mod on the server must match both the platform and the exact Minecraft version.

Switch your server to Fabric or Forge

The easiest route is the Version page under Minecraft tools in your server menu.

1. Take a snapshot on the Backups page of your current world.
2. Stop the server with the Stop button at the top of the page.
3. Open Version. In the Server software card, click Fabric, Forge or NeoForge, then pick the Minecraft version you want.
4. In the confirmation, keep Keep them selected so your world stays, and click Install. The panel downloads the correct server files and accepts the EULA for you.
5. Start the server, watch the Console until it finishes loading, then stop it again.

How to change your Minecraft Java server version covers the Version page in more detail.

Add your mods

On a Fabric, Forge, NeoForge or Quilt server, your server menu has a Mods page under Minecraft tools that installs mods from Modrinth for you:

1. Open Mods and go to the Find mods tab.
2. Search for the mod. Results only show mods built for your loader and Minecraft version.
3. Click Install, check the files it lists (required library mods appear under Also needed and are installed with it), then click Install again.
4. Restart the server and read the Console log to confirm each mod loads.

For a mod that is not on Modrinth, or if you do not see Mods in your server menu, upload it yourself:

1. Download each mod as a .jar file. Get them from the author's page and match your Minecraft version and loader exactly.
2. Open the Files tab and go into the mods folder (it appears after the first Fabric or Forge start).
3. Click Upload files and pick every .jar, or drag several into the file list at once.
4. Add any required library mods too. Many Forge mods need a library like an API jar, and the mod page lists these.
5. Restart the server and read the Console log to confirm each mod loads.

Client and server must match

Players joining need the same loader and the same mods installed in their own launcher, otherwise they are kicked on connect. Share your mod list, or better, a modpack, so everyone is on identical files.

When something will not start

If the Console shows a crash, read the last error lines. The usual causes are a mod built for the wrong Minecraft version, a mismatched Fabric or Forge build, or a missing library mod. Remove the newest mod you added and restart to find the culprit. Because you took a snapshot first, you can always roll back from the Backups page.

You can also install a ready-made modpack instead of hand-picking mods. See Installing a modpack on Minecraft Java for that workflow.

Still stuck? Jump into our Discord at discord.gg/GuavaHost and the team will help you out.

• fabric
• forge
• mods
• java

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