Choosing a server software
There are two types of server software in QSM. Proxies and Game servers.
Game servers
Section titled “Game servers”Game servers are the core server software that hosts the game world, manage player data, etc.
Game servers can support datapacks, mods, and/or plugins.
Mods (Which comes from “Modifying”) are usually modifications that modify the core game and require both the client and the server to have the mods installed. But some mods does not follow this condition, as some mods are client-side/server-side only. Some examples include:
- The Create Mod - Adding new blocks and mechanics, Requires that both the client and the server have this mod installed.
- Sodium - This mod is client-side only, because this mod modifies the game’s rendering, and the server does not have to do any rendering in the first place.
- Xaero’s Minimap - This mod is client-side and can be used with servers that do not have this mod installed, but installing this mod on the server can help enhance the functionality of the mod on the client side, but that will also mean the client is now required to have this mod.
Plugins can basically be called server-side only mods, They can modify the core game, but not to an extent that “mods” can do. They usually add commands and utilities to the game, but not add new blocks or drastically modify the game’s mechanics. But servers with plugins do not require that the client install anything, So it is easy for the user to just launch up their vanilla client and join.
Paper is a popular Minecraft server software based on Spigot, designed to greatly improve performance and offer more advanced features and API.
Performance is a reason why Paper is the default choice. Even if you don’t use plugins, Paper is still a great choice.
You can read Paper’s documentation here
From the makers of Paper, Folia is a new fork of Paper that adds regionized multithreading to the server.
You won’t need this for your small multiplayer server with friends, as the performance optimizations are only more apparent when there are lots of players, and the players are spread out.
Purpur
Section titled “Purpur”Purpur is a fork of Paper, Meaning that Purpur is based on Paper. Purpur is a drop-in replacement for Paper servers that’s designed for configurability, and new fun and exciting gameplay features. (That’s what they said)
You can read Purpur’s documentation here
Vanilla
Section titled “Vanilla”Vanilla servers simply mean the official Minecraft server software.
You can read a Minecraft wiki page covering about setting up a Minecraft server here. But not all of the instructions within that page will apply to QSM.
Fabric
Section titled “Fabric”Fabric is a Minecraft mod loader that is modular and lightweight.
When creating a Fabric server in QSM, QSM will always choose the latest available installer version.
You can read Fabric’s documentation here
Quilt is a fork of Fabric with more configuration options and APIs for developers. Quilt is generally compatible with most Fabric mods.
Forge is a widely-used modding API. You can read Forge’s documentation here
NeoForge
Section titled “NeoForge”NeoForge is a free, open-source, community-oriented modding API.
You can read NeoForge’s documentation about how to create a mod here
Proxies
Section titled “Proxies”Proxies are software that reroute the Minecraft game to a different server. These are for server setups with multiple sub-servers.
Velocity
Section titled “Velocity”Velocity is a modern, high-performance proxy software from the PaperMC team. Designed with performance and stability in mind, it’s a full alternative to Waterfall/BungeeCord with its own plugin ecosystem.
You can read Velocity’s documentation here