When deciding what mods to use for Minecraft, there’s an important question to ask yourself – should I use Forge or Fabric? In some cases, it may not entirely matter since some modifications support both. However, the vast majority of them are only compatible with one type. Due to this, it’s important to understand the differences between Minecraft Forge and Fabric. Knowing this information will help you decide which one to use when playing with mods. Whether you’re starting up a modded server or singleplayer world, this still applies. With all that said, let’s begin to understand how Minecraft Forge is different from Fabric.
Minecraft Modding API
Forge and Fabric are both modding APIs for Minecraft, allowing developers to add and change features. We won’t get too technical, but essentially these versions provide mod authors with the required tools for making changes to the code. These can be optimizations, improving the performance of Minecraft – rather than adding new items, blocks, mobs, animations, or other aspects. Almost anything is possible with Forge or Fabric! However, they aren’t entirely similar…so what’s the difference?
Forge
The most popular modded versions of Minecraft use Forge, as it opens the door for large scale changes on both servers and singleplayer worlds. Developers can use its framework to easily and swiftly create mods that completely overhauls the game. With this in mind, large modpacks typically use Forge instead of anything else since coding is more efficient with this API. Essentially, the main objective of this is to have all the mods work together without problems. Additionally, client-side mods can work on any type of server that you join! Beyond this, Minecraft Forge was developed much earlier in Minecraft’s history – resulting in a wide variety of mods to try out. This means you have tons of options to play around with to create the best modded server!
Fabric
The second best option to use when modding Minecraft is Fabric, a lightweight API that is used for manipulating the game via mods. Due to its simple environment, developers might require more time to update or create their own modifications. The main objective of this API is to constantly be up-to-date with Minecraft latest versions, including snapshots. This also means there is less infrastructure to it, resulting in less bugs. An added benefit to Fabric is that client-side mods are super easy to implement – even allowing you to join any server that’s compatible. Whether you’re on Vanilla, Spigot, or Paper, players can still connect while having modifications installed on their launcher.
The Comparison
There are lots of differences between Minecraft Forge and Fabric, with some minor ones not mentioned above. Let’s summarize the major aspects of each API to clearly see the comparison.
Forge
Fabric
Heavyweight API
Lightweight API
Completely changes the code
Slightly changes the code
Designed for large mods / modpacks
Designed for small mods / modpacks
Prone to more bugs
Lowered chance of bugs
Takes longer to process updates
Shorter time to process updates
Used for entirely changing Minecraft, resulting in new experiences
Used for changing Minecraft, while keeping vanilla-like experiences
Forge can be used on Minecraft 1.1 to the latest version
Fabric can be used on 1.14 to the latest version
Minecraft Forge / Fabric Server Hosting
Will you use Forge or Fabric to host your own Minecraft modded server? Answering this depends on what you want! For example, large scale modpacks will perform better with Forge. On the other hand, if you want players to experience a more vanilla-like server with optimized performance, consider Fabric. It’s important to note that modpacks exist for both of these APIs. This means that you could replace Forge mods with Fabric mods, while still allowing for a completely different type of gameplay in Minecraft. They are both extremely similar, but one is heavyweight and the other is lightweight. Choose wisely! In cases where you want to test around with each API, our Apex Hosting game servers allow you to quickly change between them. Get started today and embark on grand adventures with friends!
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