🛠️ Mods vs. Plugins in Minecraft

Minecraft is undoubtedly one of the most influential games ever created. With regular updates and an infinitely procedurally generated world, the only limit is what you can do. However, vanilla Minecraft can get a bit boring after a while. Mods and plugins are a great way to breathe new life into your vanilla server or world, but choosing between mods and plugins can be a bit overwhelming. In this guide, we'll explain the difference between mods and plugins and how they can be used on a PixelHost server.

🔌 What is a Plugin?

Plugins are like extensions for your browser. They make use of the existing functions and code in the game to add new features. Since they don’t make changes to the base game, your players don’t need to install anything or make changes to their game to join the server.

Performance Impact on the Server

Since plugins don’t alter the base game, they don’t consume many resources. Most plugins take up very little space on the server and don’t have a significant effect on performance. Plugin loaders like Paper are designed to drastically improve your server’s performance and prevent lag. To some extent, most plugins are flexible in terms of version. This means that in some cases, you can continue using a plugin even if it hasn’t been updated to the latest game version.

Management

Virtually all available plugins come with configuration files and permission nodes for you to customize. Configuration files allow you to enable or disable features or change how some features work to better suit your server. Permission nodes let you control who on your server can use certain features.

Limitations

The biggest drawback of plugins is the lack of variety. Because plugins only use features already present in the game, they don’t add new items like blocks or textures. That said, the game still gives plugin creators a lot of flexibility, so there’s a plugin for almost everything.

🧩 What is a Mod?

Mods, as the name suggests, modify the base game files. This allows mods to add new items like blocks, mobs, and gameplay mechanics. Mods can turn the game into something entirely new. Mods can be grouped to create Modpacks like RLCraft or Skyfactory.

Performance Impact on the Server

Unlike plugins, mods add new items to the game and alter the base game code to do so. This means they consume many resources and are much more likely to cause your server to lag than plugins. This is especially true for mods that make drastic changes to the game, like Biomes O' Plenty or Twilight Forest mods. The more mods you have, the more resources they will use. Having a large number of players can make lag even worse.

Management

Like plugins, almost all mods come with configuration files that you can adjust according to your needs. However, most mods don’t have any kind of permission system. This means that, in most cases, every player on the server will have access to everything included in a mod, unless you make changes in the mod’s configuration files to prevent it.

Limitations

Mods are version-specific, meaning they only work on the game version they were created for and not on others. A mod created for Minecraft 1.12.2 will only work on 1.12.2. If you try to install it on a 1.16.5 server, it either won’t load at all, or the server will crash completely.

Due to how mods work, they are much more likely to cause your server to crash. The ticking entity crash is the most common crash caused by mods. This happens when a mod tries to change an entity, like a zombie or a chest, and causes it to corrupt. When this happens, the server won’t be able to load the entity and will crash every time it tries.

⚖️ Comparing the Two

Both options have many advantages and disadvantages. Here’s a quick look at the different pros and cons of using mods or plugins on your server:

Plugins

Pros:

• Players don’t need to install anything.

• More stable than mods.

• Less lag.

• More control over player permissions.

Cons:

• Less variety.

• Can only be installed on servers.

Mods

Pros:

• Can be used in both single-player and multiplayer.

• Adds new items and mechanics.

• A large number of popular modpacks.

Cons:

• More resource-intensive.

• Version-specific.

• More prone to causing lag and crashes.

  
  

📦 Use Cases

Minigames

One of the most popular reasons to use plugins is to create minigames on your server. There are thousands of plugins available to help you run games like Murder Mystery, Skyblock, and Bedwars. PixelHost offers a wide range of pre-configured minigames for you to choose from and install, but you can also create your own using plugins.

Modpacks

Modpacks are a very popular way to enhance your Minecraft experience. There are thousands of packs available to change the game in any way you can imagine. Pixelmon, for example, is a popular pack that allows you to start your own Pokémon adventure. Modpacks can turn Minecraft into an entirely new game without having to purchase anything.

Quality of Life

Both plugins and mods are great for adding new features to your game, but that doesn’t have to be the end goal. Many players use plugins and mods to add quality-of-life improvements to their server or game. These improvements can range from simple changes like allowing players to move mob spawners to creating minimaps and adding shaders to your game.

There are thousands of these quality-of-life plugins and mods available to choose from to make your game a bit more enjoyable.

🎯 Conclusion

With this, you’re ready to choose which option—mods or plugins—is right for you. While both have their pros and cons, they are invaluable tools for building your server. Thanks to Minecraft’s vast modding community, there’s a plugin or mod for almost any need. You can use plugins to create minigames and enhance the quality of life on your server, while mods are a great choice for completely changing the game into something new. Each option will enhance your experience and give you the opportunity to add new features for your players on your PixelHost server.

Best Regards,

João @PixelHost.