Minecraft Mods

Performance, utility, building, and tech mods for Java Edition. Download counts are pulled from CurseForge and Modrinth at listing time — they are not live counters. Every mod lists its supported loaders and the newest Minecraft version it runs on.

16 mods shown
Utility

Mouse Tweaks

Enhances inventory management by adding various functions to the mouse buttons. Drag crafting, quick stack movement, scroll wheel enhancements. The most-downloaded utility mod on CurseForge.

482.2M downloadsForge / FabricBy YaLTeR
Library

GeckoLib

A 3D animation library for entities, blocks, items, and armor. Required by many mob and boss mods. If a mod page says "requires GeckoLib," this is the one.

420.4M downloadsForge / Fabric / NeoForgeBy Gecko
Utility

AppleSkin

Adds food and hunger information to the HUD. Shows saturation values and food preview tooltips so you can make smarter hunger decisions before eating.

418.9M downloadsForge / FabricBy squeek502
Library

Cloth Config API

Config screen API for Minecraft. Nearly every mod with an in-game settings menu depends on it. Install it once and forget it exists.

382.6M downloadsFabric / Forge / NeoForgeBy shedaniel
Library

Architectury API

An intermediary API aimed at easing multiplatform mod development. If a mod supports both Fabric and Forge, there is a good chance it needs Architectury.

350.2M downloadsFabric / Forge / NeoForge
Utility

Jade

Shows information about what you are looking at. A fork of Hwyla/WAILA for 1.16+. Displays block names, mod ownership, and inventory contents at a glance.

277.8M downloadsFabric / Forge / NeoForgeBy Snownee
Library

Balm

Abstraction layer for multi-loader mods. Required by several popular mods from BlayTheNinth. Fabric and Forge builds available.

263.0M downloadsFabric / Forge / NeoForgeBy BlayTheNinth
Performance

ModernFix

All-in-one performance mod that improves speed, reduces memory usage, and fixes bugs. Designed to work alongside other performance mods like Sodium and Lithium.

248.6M downloadsForge / NeoForgeBy embeddedt
Performance

Sodium

The standard rendering performance mod for Fabric and NeoForge. Replaces the vanilla renderer with a more efficient one. The most-downloaded mod on Modrinth at 237.9M.

237.9M downloadsFabric / NeoForgeBy CaffeineMC
Performance

ImmediatelyFast

Speeds up immediate-mode rendering in Minecraft. A small, focused optimization mod that stacks with Sodium and Iris without conflicts.

190.4M downloadsFabric / NeoForge / QuiltBy RaphiMC
Shaders

Iris Shaders

Shader loader for Fabric and NeoForge. The modern alternative to OptiFine for running shader packs. Works with Sodium and supports most popular shader packs.

185.0M downloadsFabric / NeoForge / QuiltBy CaffeineMC
Performance

Entity Culling

Uses async path-tracing to hide blocks and entities that are not visible. Reduces rendering load without changing how the game looks.

175.8M downloadsFabric / Forge / NeoForgeBy tr7zw
Utility

Mod Menu

Adds a mod list screen to Fabric. Lets you view installed mods and configure them from a single menu. Essential for any Fabric setup.

150.7M downloadsFabric / QuiltBy Prospector
Utility

Xaero's Minimap

Displays a map of nearby terrain, players, mobs, and entities in the corner of your screen. Supports waypoints. Client-side only — servers don't need it.

114.6M downloadsFabric / Forge / NeoForgeBy Xaero
Utility

Just Enough Items (JEI)

View items and recipes in-game. A searchable database of crafting recipes and item uses. Essential for any modpack with more than a handful of mods.

80.7M downloadsFabric / Forge / NeoForgeBy mezz
Tech

Create

A building and automation mod centered on rotational power. Gears, belts, and contraptions that feel mechanical rather than magical. One of the most popular tech mods on Modrinth at 27.1M downloads.

27.1M downloadsForge / NeoForgeBy simibubi

Choosing a mod loader

Fabric and Forge are not interchangeable. A mod built for one will not run on the other unless the mod page explicitly says so.

Fabric

Lighter, updates faster to new Minecraft versions, and preferred by performance mods like Sodium and Iris. If you want a minimal setup with shaders, Fabric is usually the easier path. Downside: some large content mods never port to Fabric.

Forge / NeoForge

Home to most large content mods, tech mods, and modpacks. NeoForge is the newer fork for 1.20.2+. If you want Create, Mekanism, or a full kitchen-sink modpack, you will likely need Forge or NeoForge.

Rule of thumb: pick your loader based on the mod you cannot live without. Then check every other mod on your list supports it. Mixing loaders is not possible in a single instance.

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