Minecraft Java Edition server cores.
There are many cores for Minecraft and they are needed in different cases.
There are 4 main types of cores.
1. Cores that focus on plugin support.
2. Cores that focus on modifications.
3. Hybrid cores that have the advantages of the first two points.
4. Cores that focus on optimization.
Let's start in order.
1. Cores with a focus on plugin support are as follows.
Bukkit - Basic core with plugin support.
Advantages
+ Plugin support
+ More stable than pure Minecraft core as the server core code is modified.
+ Lightweight core that requires fewer system resources.
Disadvantages
- Only Bukkit plugins are supported
Spigot - Slightly more advanced core than Bukkit.
Advantages
+ Supports not only Spigot plugins, but also Bukkit plugins
+ More popular core, so there are more plugins available for it.
Disadvantages
- Requires more system resources than Bukkit
- Some plugins are paid
2. Cores with a focus on modifications. They have a common disadvantage (To connect to such servers, you must have the same versions of modifications installed as on the server - this can be solved by adding a launcher for your servers, it will automatically load mods and other resources for the game).
Forge - Popular core for modifications
Advantages
+ Large number of mods.
Disadvantages
- Requires a large amount of RAM (Minimum 4GB of RAM for normal operation)
- Less stable compared to vanilla core*
- Difficult to install on Linux systems (The first article describes how to make everything work correctly).
Fabric
Advantages
+ More stable core compared to Forge.
+ It is released almost immediately with the release of the vanilla core (Even beta versions of the game have it)
+ Mod Sodium significantly increases the number of FPS on the computer (Useful for those with weak computers).
+ There is a Bukkit API mod that allows you to run Bukkit plugins on the server.
Disadvantages
- Less mods compared to Forge
- Beta versions in most cases do not have mods.
- Very picky about modifications. (Sometimes those modifications that work fine on the client* may simply not start on the server).
3. Cores that combine the advantages of the first two.
Cauldron
Advantages
+ Works with both plugins and mods based on the Forge core
Disadvantages
- The latest version for which it was created is 1.7.10
Sponge - Continuation of Cauldron
Advantages allow you to run Forge mods and Bukkit plugins.
Disadvantages
- The latest available version is for Minecraft 1.16.5
Mohist
Essentially, this is a mix of cores whose essence is to optimize the server part.
Advantages
+ Optimization
+ The latest version of the server is available for Minecraft 1.19.3 (At the time of writing, the latest version of Minecraft is 1.19.4)
Disadvantages
- Not available for all game versions as development of one version takes a long time.
4. Cores that focus on optimization.
Paper
Advantages
+ Has the advantages of the Spigot core. (Included in the Mohist core)
+ Can handle over 1000 players simultaneously.
+ Can work as a proxy core for connection, allowing you to work with both Forge and Bukkit servers.
Tuinity
Fork* of Paper
Advantages
+ Even more optimized than the Paper core.
Disadvantages
- Not available on versions below 1.13.
- The core needs to be compiled by yourself
Purpur
Fork* of Tuinity
Advantages
+ Very detailed server configuration (You can configure the AI of each mob* available in the game)
Disadvantages
- Definitely not suitable for beginners as it is difficult to configure.
I wrote briefly about the most popular Minecraft cores.
Links to the cores are listed below (These are safe links to the official core websites).
Bukkit - https://getbukkit.org/download/craftbukkit
Spigot - https://getbukkit.org/download/spigot
Forge - https://files.minecraftforge.net/net/minecraftforge/forge/
Fabric - https://fabricmc.net/use/server/
Cauldron - https://sourceforge.net/projects/cauldron-unofficial/files/1.7.10/
Sponge - https://spongepowered.org/downloads/spongeforge
Mohist - https://mohistmc.com/download
Paper - https://papermc.io/downloads/paper
Tuinity - https://github.com/Tuinity/Tuinity
Purpur - https://purpurmc.org/downloads
*- The vanilla core is considered to be the Minecraft server core downloaded from the official website.
*2 - Fork is the use of program code as a starting point for another, while the main project can continue to exist or be discontinued.
*3 Mob - Any animal, villager, or monster in the game.
*4 Client - The game itself running on a personal computer.