Server Types¶

Detailed guide for each Minecraft server platform supported by mcctl.

Quick Start¶

Create a server with your desired type using mcctl:

# Paper (recommended for most users)
mcctl create myserver -t PAPER -v 1.21.1

# Vanilla (pure Minecraft)
mcctl create myserver -t VANILLA -v 1.21.1

# Forge (mods)
mcctl create myserver -t FORGE -v 1.20.4

# NeoForge (modern Forge fork, 1.20.1+)
mcctl create myserver -t NEOFORGE -v 1.21.1

# Fabric (lightweight mods)
mcctl create myserver -t FABRIC -v 1.21.1

# Modrinth modpack
mcctl create myserver --modpack

Overview¶

Type	Plugins	Mods	Performance	Recommended For
PAPER	Yes	No	Excellent	General use, plugins
VANILLA	No	No	Good	Pure Minecraft experience
FORGE	No	Yes	Varies	Forge mod packs
NEOFORGE	No	Yes	Varies	Modern Forge mods (1.20.1+)
FABRIC	No	Yes	Excellent	Performance mods
MODRINTH	No	Yes	Varies	Modrinth modpacks
SPIGOT	Yes	No	Good	Legacy plugin compatibility
BUKKIT	Yes	No	Moderate	Very old plugins
PURPUR	Yes	No	Excellent	Advanced customization
QUILT	No	Yes	Excellent	Modern Fabric alternative

Paper¶

Recommended for most users.

Paper is a high-performance Minecraft server that supports Bukkit and Spigot plugins while providing significant performance improvements.

Create Paper Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t PAPER -v 1.21.1

Features¶

Significant performance improvements over Vanilla
Full Bukkit/Spigot plugin compatibility
Async chunk loading
Anti-exploit patches
Extensive configuration options

Recommended Configuration¶

# Enable Aikar's optimized JVM flags
mcctl config myserver USE_AIKAR_FLAGS true

Adding Plugins¶

# From Modrinth
mcctl config myserver MODRINTH_PROJECTS "essentialsx,luckperms"

# From Spigot
mcctl config myserver SPIGET_RESOURCES "28140,81534"

# Apply changes
mcctl stop myserver && mcctl start myserver

Or place plugin JAR files in shared/plugins/ directory.

Best Practices¶

Always enable USE_AIKAR_FLAGS=true for optimal performance
Use Paper-specific plugins when available
Monitor with Paper's built-in profiler: /timings report

Vanilla¶

The official Minecraft server from Mojang.

Create Vanilla Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t VANILLA -v 1.21.1

Features¶

Official Minecraft experience
No modifications
Guaranteed compatibility with all Minecraft features
Smallest footprint

Use Cases¶

Pure Minecraft experience
Testing vanilla behavior
Minimal server requirements

Forge¶

Server for running Forge mods.

Create Forge Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t FORGE -v 1.20.4

Features¶

Large mod ecosystem
Complex modpacks support
Industrial/tech mods
RPG mods

Configuration¶

# Set memory (modpacks need more)
mcctl config myserver MEMORY 8G

# Add mods (requires CF_API_KEY in .env)
mcctl config myserver CURSEFORGE_FILES "jei,journeymap,create"

# Or specific Forge version
mcctl config myserver FORGE_VERSION "47.2.0"

# Apply changes
mcctl stop myserver && mcctl start myserver

Java Version Requirements¶

Minecraft Version	Required Java	Image Tag
1.20.x+	Java 17 or 21	`latest`
1.17.x - 1.19.x	Java 17	`java17`
1.16.x and below	Java 8	`java8`

Forge 1.16.5 and Below

For older Forge versions, you need to modify the server's docker-compose.yml to use the java8 image:

image: itzg/minecraft-server:java8

Memory Recommendations¶

Modpack Size	Recommended Memory
Light (10-30 mods)	4-6G
Medium (30-100 mods)	6-8G
Heavy (100+ mods)	8-12G

mcctl config myserver MEMORY 8G

NeoForge¶

Modern fork of Forge with improved APIs and active development. Supports Minecraft 1.20.1 and above.

Create NeoForge Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t NEOFORGE -v 1.21.1

Features¶

Active development with modern APIs
Forge mod compatibility (many Forge mods work on NeoForge)
Improved performance over legacy Forge
Better mod loading and dependency management

Configuration¶

# Set memory (modpacks need more)
mcctl config myserver MEMORY 8G

# Add mods from Modrinth
mcctl config myserver MODRINTH_PROJECTS "jei,create"

# Apply changes
mcctl stop myserver && mcctl start myserver

When to Use¶

New modded server projects targeting Minecraft 1.20.1+
Prefer modern Forge APIs and active community development
Want improved performance over legacy Forge

Minecraft Version Requirement

NeoForge requires Minecraft 1.20.1 or newer. For older versions, use FORGE instead.

Modrinth Modpack¶

Create a server from a Modrinth modpack. The modpack includes all required mods, configurations, and settings pre-configured.

Create Modrinth Modpack Server¶

# Interactive mode (recommended) - search and select modpack
mcctl create myserver --modpack

# The interactive flow will:
# 1. Search Modrinth for modpacks
# 2. Select a version
# 3. Choose a mod loader (only supported loaders shown)
# 4. Configure memory and other settings

Features¶

Search Modrinth modpacks directly from CLI
Dynamic loader detection: only shows loaders the modpack supports (Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, Quilt)
Automatic version selection with version listing
Pre-configured mod sets for immediate play

Configuration¶

The modpack server is configured with:

TYPE=MODRINTH
MODRINTH_MODPACK=<modpack-slug>
MODRINTH_VERSION=<version-id>       # optional
MODRINTH_LOADER=<loader>            # forge, neoforge, fabric, quilt

Memory Recommendations¶

Modpack Size	Recommended Memory
Light (10-30 mods)	4-6G
Medium (30-100 mods)	6-8G
Heavy (100+ mods)	8-12G

Web Console¶

Modrinth modpack servers can also be created from the Web Console (Management Console) with the same modpack search and dynamic loader selection.

Fabric¶

Lightweight modding platform with excellent performance.

Create Fabric Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t FABRIC -v 1.21.1

Features¶

Fast startup and runtime
Performance optimization mods (Lithium, Sodium)
Modern modding API
Smaller mod file sizes

Configuration¶

# Set memory
mcctl config myserver MEMORY 6G

# Essential Fabric mods from Modrinth
mcctl config myserver MODRINTH_PROJECTS "fabric-api,lithium,starlight"
mcctl config myserver MODRINTH_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES required

# Or specific Fabric loader version
mcctl config myserver FABRIC_LOADER_VERSION "0.15.0"

# Apply changes
mcctl stop myserver && mcctl start myserver

Recommended Mods¶

Mod	Purpose	mcctl config
`fabric-api`	Required by most mods	`MODRINTH_PROJECTS`
`lithium`	Game logic optimization	`MODRINTH_PROJECTS`
`starlight`	Lighting engine rewrite	`MODRINTH_PROJECTS`
`krypton`	Network optimization	`MODRINTH_PROJECTS`
`ferritecore`	Memory optimization	`MODRINTH_PROJECTS`

mcctl config myserver MODRINTH_PROJECTS "fabric-api,lithium,starlight,krypton,ferritecore"

Performance Comparison¶

Fabric with optimization mods typically provides:

50-100% better TPS than Vanilla
Faster chunk loading
Lower memory usage

Spigot¶

Modified Bukkit server with plugin support.

Create Spigot Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t SPIGOT -v 1.21.1

Features¶

Bukkit plugin compatibility
Performance improvements over Bukkit
Wide plugin ecosystem

When to Use¶

Need specific Spigot-only plugins
Legacy server migration
Paper causes compatibility issues

Paper Recommended

Paper is generally preferred over Spigot as it provides better performance and maintains full Spigot compatibility.

Bukkit¶

Classic Minecraft plugin server.

Create Bukkit Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t BUKKIT -v 1.21.1

Features¶

Original plugin API
Legacy plugin support
Stable and well-documented

When to Use¶

Very old plugins that don't work with Spigot/Paper
Historical/archival purposes

Purpur¶

Paper fork with additional features and customization.

Create Purpur Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t PURPUR -v 1.21.1

Features¶

All Paper features plus more
Extended configuration options
Fun gameplay additions
Active development

Configuration¶

mcctl config myserver USE_AIKAR_FLAGS true

Unique Features¶

Rideable mobs (configure which mobs can be ridden)
Player health on damage indicators
Configurable villager lobotomization
Extended permissions

Quilt¶

Modern Fabric fork with improved APIs.

Create Quilt Server¶

mcctl create myserver -t QUILT -v 1.21.1

Features¶

Fabric mod compatibility
Improved loader and API
Better mod conflict resolution
Community-focused development

Configuration¶

mcctl config myserver MODRINTH_PROJECTS "qsl,fabric-api"

When to Use¶

Prefer Quilt's approach to modding
Need Quilt-exclusive mods
Want improved mod compatibility

Choosing a Server Type¶

Decision Tree¶

flowchart TD
    A{Need mods?} -->|Yes| B{Which type?}
    A -->|No| C{Need plugins?}

    B -->|Modpack from Modrinth| M[MODRINTH modpack]
    B -->|Forge mods| D{Minecraft version?}
    D -->|1.20.1+| N[NEOFORGE or FORGE]
    D -->|Older| O[FORGE]
    B -->|Fabric/Quilt| E{Priority?}
    E -->|Cutting-edge| F[QUILT]
    E -->|Compatibility| G[FABRIC]

    C -->|Yes| H{Priority?}
    C -->|No| I[VANILLA]

    H -->|Performance| J[PAPER]
    H -->|Customization| K[PURPUR]
    H -->|Legacy| L[SPIGOT/BUKKIT]

Quick Recommendations¶

Use Case	Command
General multiplayer	`mcctl create myserver -t PAPER -v 1.21.1`
Performance-focused	`mcctl create myserver -t PAPER -v 1.21.1` or `-t FABRIC`
Complex modpacks	`mcctl create myserver --modpack`
Forge mods (modern)	`mcctl create myserver -t NEOFORGE -v 1.21.1`
Forge mods (legacy)	`mcctl create myserver -t FORGE -v 1.20.4`
Light optimization mods	`mcctl create myserver -t FABRIC -v 1.21.1`
Pure vanilla	`mcctl create myserver -t VANILLA -v 1.21.1`
Maximum customization	`mcctl create myserver -t PURPUR -v 1.21.1`

Complete Setup Examples¶

Survival Server (Paper)¶

# Create server
mcctl create survival -t PAPER -v 1.21.1

# Configure
mcctl config survival MOTD "Survival Server - Good luck!"
mcctl config survival DIFFICULTY hard
mcctl config survival GAMEMODE survival
mcctl config survival USE_AIKAR_FLAGS true

# Add plugins
mcctl config survival MODRINTH_PROJECTS "essentialsx,luckperms"

# Restart to apply
mcctl stop survival && mcctl start survival

# Add operators
mcctl op survival add YourName

Modded Server (Forge)¶

# Create server
mcctl create modded -t FORGE -v 1.20.4

# Configure
mcctl config modded MEMORY 8G
mcctl config modded USE_AIKAR_FLAGS true

# Add mods (requires CF_API_KEY in .env)
mcctl config modded CURSEFORGE_FILES "create,jei,journeymap"

# Restart to apply
mcctl stop modded && mcctl start modded

Modded Server (NeoForge)¶

# Create server
mcctl create modern -t NEOFORGE -v 1.21.1

# Configure
mcctl config modern MEMORY 8G
mcctl config modern USE_AIKAR_FLAGS true

# Add mods from Modrinth
mcctl config modern MODRINTH_PROJECTS "create,jei,journeymap"

# Restart to apply
mcctl stop modern && mcctl start modern

Modpack Server (Modrinth)¶

# Create modpack server (interactive)
mcctl create modpack-server --modpack

# The CLI will guide you through:
# 1. Searching for modpacks on Modrinth
# 2. Selecting a modpack version
# 3. Choosing a mod loader (Forge, NeoForge, Fabric, Quilt)
# 4. Setting memory allocation

Performance Server (Fabric)¶

# Create server
mcctl create performance -t FABRIC -v 1.21.1

# Configure
mcctl config performance MEMORY 6G
mcctl config performance MODRINTH_PROJECTS "fabric-api,lithium,starlight,krypton"
mcctl config performance MODRINTH_DOWNLOAD_DEPENDENCIES required

# Restart to apply
mcctl stop performance && mcctl start performance

Server Types¶

Quick Start¶

Overview¶

Paper¶

Create Paper Server¶

Features¶

Recommended Configuration¶

Adding Plugins¶

Best Practices¶

Vanilla¶

Create Vanilla Server¶

Features¶

Use Cases¶

Forge¶

Create Forge Server¶

Features¶

Configuration¶

Java Version Requirements¶

Memory Recommendations¶

NeoForge¶

Create NeoForge Server¶

Features¶

Configuration¶

When to Use¶

Modrinth Modpack¶

Create Modrinth Modpack Server¶

Features¶

Configuration¶

Memory Recommendations¶

Web Console¶

Fabric¶

Create Fabric Server¶

Features¶

Configuration¶

Recommended Mods¶

Performance Comparison¶

Spigot¶

Create Spigot Server¶

Features¶

When to Use¶

Bukkit¶

Create Bukkit Server¶

Features¶

When to Use¶

Purpur¶

Create Purpur Server¶

Features¶

Configuration¶

Unique Features¶

Quilt¶

Create Quilt Server¶

Features¶

Configuration¶

When to Use¶

Choosing a Server Type¶

Decision Tree¶

Quick Recommendations¶

Complete Setup Examples¶

Survival Server (Paper)¶

Modded Server (Forge)¶

Modded Server (NeoForge)¶

Modpack Server (Modrinth)¶

Performance Server (Fabric)¶

See Also¶