Best server-side Minecraft mods for a friends server
A server-side mod or plugin works when it is installed on the server alone, so your friends join with the normal game and install nothing. Below are 25 projects that Modrinth marks as not needing a client install, to start from. It is a starting point, not an endorsement.
Java Edition 26.3. Data from Modrinth as of 2026-10-04; supported versions change, so check the project page before you install.
What “server-side” means
The mod or plugin is installed on the server and does its work there: faster game logic, permissions, protection, a web map. The players’ computers stay as they are. Modrinth records this on every project as two flags, one for the server and one for the client; the list below shows both.
Why it matters for a friends server
With a few friends, the hard part is rarely the mod, it is getting everyone to install the same files on their own computer. A server-side entry removes that step for the whole group. Mods that add new blocks, items or screens usually need a client install and are not in this list.
The list
Grouped by category, then by name. Use the filters to narrow by server type (loader) and by Modrinth category; the loaders shown are the ones that have a build for 26.3. With JavaScript off, the full list is shown.
This list was last checked on 2026-10-04; versions may have moved on.
“Required” means the project must be installed on that side, “optional” that it works without it there, “not supported” that it has no part for that side.
Showing 25 of 25 projects
Alternate Current
A more efficient redstone dust implementation that reduces lag.
Its page says it makes the update order of redstone dust predictable, which can matter for some contraptions.
Chunky
Generates the world around a point ahead of time, so exploring later causes less lag; jobs can be paused and resumed.
Concurrent Chunk Management Engine (Fabric)
Concurrent chunk management to improve chunk performance.
Its 26.3 builds are alpha; the author asks you to back up your worlds.
View on Modrinth Concurrent Chunk Management Engine (Fabric)
FerriteCore
Memory-usage optimisations for Minecraft; the saving depends on what is installed.
Its author recommends installing it on both the server and the players’ side.
Krypton
Optimises Minecraft’s networking stack.
The author says support is best-effort.
Lithium
General-purpose optimisation of game logic (physics, mob AI, block ticking) that aims to keep vanilla mechanics unchanged.
ServerCore
Patches and optimisations aimed at dedicated servers.
Very Many Players (Fabric)
Aims to improve server performance with many players, without changing vanilla behaviour.
Built for high player counts, so the gain may be small for 2 to 10 friends (our inference, not measured). The author calls it early development. Its 26.3 builds are alpha.
DiscordSRV
Bridges Minecraft and Discord chat; can forward the server console to a Discord channel.
Its console channel runs what is typed in it as console commands, so restrict that channel to admins.
Ledger
Logs what players do (block changes, containers and more) so moderators can search it and roll it back.
LuckPerms
Permissions: groups and permissions that control what each player can do.
WorldGuard
Region protection: mark areas where only chosen players can build, and switch individual game rules on or off per area.
Per its page, it needs a Bukkit-based server such as Paper. WorldEdit’s Modrinth side flags are unknown; we have not tested whether players need it.
NetherPortalFix
Fixes the return trip through Nether portals in multiplayer, so you come out of the portal you entered from and not another player’s.
No Chat Reports
Removes the cryptographic signatures from chat messages and disables player chat reporting, according to its page.
Per its page, since 1.20.2 a server alone cannot remove the “unsigned messages” warning that vanilla clients show.
Simple Voice Chat
Proximity voice chat.
Players who want to talk install the matching client mod, and the server needs extra setup (see the project wiki).
Double Doors
Identical double doors, trapdoors and fence gates open together.
RightClickHarvest
Harvest and replant crops with a right click.
JamLib’s own Modrinth page marks its client side as required; we have not tested whether players need it.
Universal Graves
Customisable graves that keep a player’s items after death; can work on the server alone.
VeinMiner
Breaking one block of an ore breaks the whole connected vein; configurable.
Its page offers optional add-ons (a client hotkey, an enchantment version) that are not needed for the base behaviour.
BlueMap
Generates 3D maps of your worlds, viewed in a web browser.
It runs its own web server: friends need its port to be reachable to view the map.
Clumps
Merges experience orbs into one entity to cut lag when many pile up, and lets players pick them up on touch.
Its page says that from 1.17 on it is only needed on the server.
FallingTree
Changes how trees are cut: in most of its modes, breaking one log brings the whole tree down.
spark
Finds what slows a server down by sampling CPU and memory use; also works on clients and proxies.
ViaBackwards
The reverse of ViaVersion: lets players on an older game version join a newer server.
On Fabric, its page says to use ViaFabric or ViaFabricPlus, which bundle it.
ViaVersion
Lets players on a newer game version join a server that runs an older one.
On Fabric, its page says to use ViaFabric or ViaFabricPlus, which bundle it.
No project matches this filter. Choose “All” to see the whole list.
How the entries were chosen
We queried Modrinth’s public API on 2026-10-04 and stored the result; nothing on this page is fetched live. The steps:
- We ran Modrinth’s search once for each Minecraft version (26.3 and 26.2) and kept the projects that appear in both lists, then added well-known server-side projects by name.
- The project type is mod (Modrinth’s API reports plugins under that type too), and the project lists both Minecraft Java 26.3 (the current release on that date) and 26.2 among its game versions, with a build for 26.3.
- Player side is “unsupported” or “optional”: a player can join without installing it. Server side is “required” or “optional”. The project is approved and sits in at least one of the categories performance, server management, utility, gameplay or social.
- We then checked well-known server-side projects and the top of Modrinth’s search, one by one on each project’s page, and kept what a private server of about 2 to 10 friends can use: performance, diagnostics, permissions and protection, version compatibility, voice chat and a few quality-of-life changes. We left out world-generation content, cosmetic and client-focused tools, and libraries. WorldGuard is also tagged “library” on Modrinth and was kept on purpose, as was DiscordSRV, which carries “library” as an extra tag.
So the list is our judgement of fit for a small private server, not a ranking. A project missing here may simply not list both versions yet, or be good and not picked. The page shows no popularity figures. Listing is not an endorsement, we have not tested these projects on a server, and each one has its own licence and its own required companions (the “Needs” row, from the project’s own build for the current release): read its page.
Memory and sizing
Modrinth does not publish how much memory a project needs, and we did not measure any, so no per-project figure is shown. For the memory a server needs in total, use the Minecraft server RAM calculator, and treat its output as an estimate.
FAQ
What is a server-side Minecraft mod?
A mod or plugin that is installed only on the server and does its work there. Players connect with their normal game. On Modrinth this is the “client side” flag set to unsupported or optional.
Do my friends need to install anything?
Not according to Modrinth’s flags: none of the listed projects marks its own client side as required. Voice chat is the exception to read carefully: a player can join without it but needs the client mod to talk. Some projects also work better with the client side installed, which their notes say.
What is the difference between Fabric and Paper here?
Fabric, NeoForge, Forge and Quilt are mod loaders. Paper and Spigot run plugins. The loaders row shows what each project has a build for on 26.3; a server is set up for one of them, so pick your server type first and filter the list by it.
Are these the best mods?
“Best” here means our pick for a small private server, by popularity and fit, on the date shown. It is not a test result, a ranking or an endorsement. Read each project page, and its licence, before you install it.
How much memory do these mods use?
We have no figure for any of them, and Modrinth does not publish one. Use the RAM calculator for an estimate of the whole server.
Sources
- Modrinth API documentation (accessed 2026-10-04)
- Modrinth terms of use (API usage) (accessed 2026-10-04)
Each entry links to its Modrinth project page, where its authors’ own description, versions and licence are. Names, loaders, flags, categories, licences and required companions come from the API on 2026-10-04; the one-line descriptions are ours.
Unofficial list, not affiliated with, approved by or endorsed by Modrinth (Rinth, Inc.), Mojang or Microsoft. Data was taken from Modrinth’s public API on 2026-10-04 and may have changed since. Minecraft is a trademark of Mojang. Modrinth is a trademark of Rinth, Inc.