7 best Minecraft server-side mods

While many Minecraft mods are designed to be used on one's own game client (known as client-side), others are created for use for all players on a given server (server-side). These mods, once installed, can be utilized by any player who joins the modded server without explicitly installing it themselves. This can save a lot of headaches for future server administrators and moderators.

Countless Minecraft mods are developed for both the client and server side of things, but some modifications are particularly useful for the majority of multiplayer servers.

Whether a server is small or sports thousands of players, quality server-side mods can help things run smoothly and stay entertaining for the foreseeable future, and it doesn't hurt to examine some of the best examples.

Note: This list is subjective and solely reflects the opinions of the writer

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7 of the best server-side Minecraft mods for multiplayer enjoyment and efficiency

1) Chunky

Chunky allows admins to pre-render Minecraft server chunks (Image via KasaiSora/YouTube)

Developed for both Minecraft singleplayer worlds and multiplayer servers, Chunky allows admins to have more control over how in-game chunks are loaded by the CPU.

Through the use of commands, Chunky can run multiple world chunk tasks at once if the server has the CPU/RAM to handle it. It can also pause certain tasks until they're absolutely necessary to save memory resources for the server.

Moreover, Chunky allows admins to set the shape of their world, and it even has an add-on known as ChunkyBorder, which allows players to set their world border more precisely than the coordinate-based system used by commands.

All in all, Chunky can save servers' memory or push them to be more efficient, resulting in less delayed chunk loading for players.

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2) Lithium

Lithium improves Minecraft server mechanics without changing core gameplay (Image via Jellysquid3/Modrinth)

One of the aspects of Minecraft multiplayer that can menace many servers is tick times. Much like singleplayer game ticks, server ticking time influences many aspects of the game including game physics, block ticking (particularly when redstone blocks change states or interact), and mob AI. As tick times falter, the server's processor spends more resources on various in-game tasks.

Lithium is an optimization Minecraft mod that addresses in-game tick times and improves them substantially in both multiplayer servers and internal singleplayer servers. The tick time improvements lead to more available resources and allow the server to load more entities, chunks, and connected players while improving overall framerates and in-game responsiveness with objects and items.

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3) FerriteCore

FerriteCore optimizes Minecraft's memory usage to improve performance (Image via Malte0811/Modrinth)

A fantastic performance mod for Minecraft in both singleplayer and multiplayer, FerriteCore implements several memory-saving improvements in the game to lower the overall CPU/RAM usage during gameplay. This can result in hundreds of megabytes of memory being saved, leading to higher framerates and player-server responsiveness.

If admins are running into gameplay issues due to their server reaching its maximum RAM or CPU usage, FerriteCore can be installed and run in the background to improve overall performance, ensuring consistent gameplay even as more players join the server.

When installed on both the client and server side, FerriteCore's optimization shines.

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4) JourneyMap

JourneyMap offers a real-time Minecraft map for players on a server (Image via TechBrew/CurseForge)

One of the best available minimap mods for Minecraft, JourneyMap offers a server and client-side minimap that can be heavily customized to suit a player's needs. The minimap offers real-time information on the terrain, any structures built or generated by the world seed, as well as the location of mobs and biomes.

JourneyMap also offers a coordinate display for players to avoid getting lost. If that wasn't enough, it provides a full-scale map that can be opened in-game for a closer look at the world. Waypoints can be placed on both maps, ensuring fans can keep track of points of interest.

All in all, JourneyMap is an invaluable mod for just about any kind of multiplayer server.

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5) Terralith

Terralith overhauls terrain generation even further than what Caves & Cliffs achieved (Image via Stardust Labs/Modrinth)

Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs update may have offered new terrain generation, but Terralith perfects it for both singleplayer and multiplayer worlds. This terrain mod adds over 95 new biomes and improves many existing ones. It also introduces terrain features like canyons, floating islands, oceanic trenches, and much more, making the game world feel more awe-inspiring and alive.

The biomes and terrain afforded by Terralith make the game world more believable and realistic without reducing any of the charm that makes Minecraft special. There's no doubt that players on a server with this mod installed will have a great time exploring every nook and cranny.

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6) NetherPortalFix

NetherPortalFix addresses a connectivity issue with portals on some servers (Image via Mojang)

There is a the distance compression between the Overworld and the Nether in Minecraft. Some players on multiplayer servers have exited the Nether and have confusingly emerged from a different portal than the one they entered in the Overworld. This tends to happen in servers particularly when players build many Nether portals in the Overworld without any restrictions.

NetherPortalFix is a simple mod that fixes this problem by tracking which portals players are using to enter the Nether and the Overworld. This way, fans won't enter the Nether from their own portal and depart the dimension by using another player's portal in their base or another inconvenient location.

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7) ChoiceTheorem's Overhauled Village

This mod provides an entirely new way to experience villages (Image via ChoiceTheorem/Modrinth)

In servers, particularly survival multiplayer (SMP) ones, village structures become some of the most utilized in the Overworld. One of the best server-side mods to complement this is ChoiceTheorem's Overhauled Village, which improves the game's original villages and pillager outposts while introducing dozens of new ones based on biomes, terrain, and certain themes.

In addition to making villages and pillager outposts more robust and varied, this mod is also compatible with the likes of Terralith. This provides a huge collection of new village/pillager outpost structures to explore and makes the Survival Mode economy more beneficial in the long run.