Lodehost
Three places a pack can come from
Modpacks live on three big platforms, and each one hands out its packs in a different shape. The Mods tab on your server searches them from one screen, and behind the install button each source is handled the way it is actually built.
| Source | How the pack is installed | Config files |
|---|---|---|
| CurseForge | The server pack the pack author published, one archive that your server downloads and unpacks itself | Included, they are part of the server pack |
| Feed The Beast | A list of every server file with its own checksum, fetched file by file by your server | Included, they are in the file list |
| Modrinth | The pack index is read, client only mods are skipped, and every server mod is checked against its SHA-512 before it is placed | Not applied automatically, so settings you already made are not overwritten |
Large packs are fetched by the machine your server runs on, not pushed through your browser or through our website. Closing the tab does not stop the download.
How to install a modpack on your server
Take a backup first
A new pack changes a lot at once. Press Create Backup on the Backups tab, or lock last night's copy, so you can go back in one step. How that works is on the backups page.
Open the Mods tab and search
Type the name of the pack. Without a search term the list shows established packs; search for a small pack by name and it shows up too.
Pick the pack version
Choose the release your players will use in their launcher. Client and server have to run the same pack version, or players get a mismatch error when they join.
Press install and watch the counter
The panel shows how far the download is. Your current mods folder is renamed to mods-oud with the date behind it, so nothing you had is lost.
Start the server and let it generate
The first start of a big pack takes longer than a normal restart while it builds its world and caches. The console shows when it is done.
Forge, NeoForge and Fabric on every plan
A modpack is built for one mod loader and often for one exact build of it. The loader version is read from the pack itself, so a pack that was made on a specific Forge release gets that release instead of whatever happens to be newest.
| Loader | Typical packs | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Forge | Long running kitchen sink and adventure packs | The oldest loader, most packs for older Minecraft versions use it |
| NeoForge | Newer large packs | Split from Forge, and many packs for recent versions moved to it |
| Fabric | Lighter packs and performance packs | Starts quickly, its mods are often smaller |
Which loader fits what you want to play is explained in Fabric vs Forge vs NeoForge. Every loader runs on every plan: there is no special modded tier.
Plugins and mods are two different worlds. A Forge, NeoForge or Fabric server does not load Paper plugins, and a Paper server does not load mods. If you switch type, the files of the other kind stay on disk but are simply not loaded. See changing version and server type.
How much memory a modpack needs
Memory decides whether the pack fits at all; processor speed decides whether it keeps 20 ticks a second once people build machines and explore. A rough guide from the plans we sell:
| Pack size | Plan to start on | Memory |
|---|---|---|
| A small pack, up to about a hundred mods | Starter | 8 GB |
| A typical modpack with a growing group | Standard | 12 GB |
| A heavy kitchen sink pack or several worlds | Premium | 24 GB |
| A network of modded servers | Ultimate | 48 GB |
Camp and Mini are fine for vanilla and light plugin servers but too small for most modpacks. The pack page on Modrinth or CurseForge usually lists a recommended amount; start at or above that. How much RAM a Minecraft server needs goes deeper.
When a pack is heavy on the processor rather than on memory, the Performance line is the better fit: the same memory on a faster core with Enterprise NVMe. The difference is explained on high performance hosting.
Why installs are checked and limited
A modpack is hundreds of files from the internet landing on a server you care about. The panel therefore only downloads from the file servers of the three platforms themselves, never from an arbitrary link somebody pastes.
- Every mod from a Modrinth pack is compared with its SHA-512 checksum before it touches the server.
- Files from an FTB pack carry their own checksum in the pack list.
- A Modrinth pack is installed automatically up to 200 server mods and 128 MB per mod; bigger packs are refused rather than half installed.
- If one mod fails halfway, the panel says exactly which one, and what already went well stays in place.
- Your previous mods folder is renamed, never deleted.
Your own pack
Built a private pack or a pack that is on none of the three platforms? Upload its server files in the file manager. A big archive can be fetched by the server from a download link instead of through your browser.
Getting your players in
Players need the same pack and pack version on their side, installed through the CurseForge app, the FTB app, Prism Launcher or the Modrinth app. They then join on your normal server address, without a port. The usual reasons a modded join fails, and what the error messages mean, are in joining a modded Minecraft server.
Written and checked against the panel by the Lodehost team, last reviewed on 17 September 2026.
