How to install mods and plugins
Installing mods, plugins, and ready-made modpacks on a Millida server in one click, the difference between a mod and a plugin, and what to do about errors.
Updated October 13, 2026
The control panel has a catalog: Modrinth, CurseForge, and Feed The Beast. Everything installs with the “Install” button — no need to download files and drop them into folders manually.
First: mod or plugin?
These are different things, and they are not interchangeable.
| Plugins | Mods | |
|---|---|---|
| Cores | Paper, Purpur, Folia | Fabric, Forge, NeoForge |
| Does the player need the mod | No | Yes, the same set |
| Typical use | Claims, economy, minigames | New blocks, mobs, mechanics |
A plugin won't work on Forge, and a mod won't work on Paper either. The control panel checks this and warns you before installation.
Installation
- The “Plugins and mods” section.
- Find what you need with search. The catalog narrows the results to what's compatible with your core and version.
- “Install”.
- Restart the server — mods and plugins load at startup.
What's installed appears as a list in the same place. If something has a new version out, an “update available” note appears next to it.
Popularity threshold: 10,000 downloads
Only items with at least 10,000 downloads make it into the catalog — the same way Aternos does it. We count by the source's own counter: downloads on Modrinth and CurseForge, installs on Feed The Beast. Anything that doesn't reach the threshold doesn't show up in search and can't be installed with the “Install” button.
The reason isn't snobbery. No one but the author has ever run a mod with a hundred downloads: these are the ones that most often crash the server, pull in a dependency that doesn't exist, or simply fail to start on your version — and then support has to sort it out. The threshold cuts off this entire class of problems.
Need an unpopular mod specifically? There's a legitimate path: any paid plan gives you the plugins and mods folders in full — via the “Files” section or SFTP. Your own private plugin, a fork from GitHub, your own build — upload the .jar and run it. There you're responsible for the file, and that's a fair deal.
The other rejections are technical:
| Rejection | Why |
|---|---|
| Fewer than 10,000 downloads | Catalog threshold — see above |
| Mod isn't for your core or version | A Fabric mod won't work on Paper, and a mod for 1.21 won't work on 1.20 |
| The build doesn't fit the plan's memory | The control panel rejects it in advance so the server doesn't crash at startup |
| The plugin executes operating system commands | Banned with no exceptions — see below |
What we don't install
There's exactly one ban: plugins that give you a shell inside the server — that is, execution of operating system commands themselves (LinuxMC and its relatives). The reason isn't licenses or popularity:
- such a plugin runs the command on the server's main thread — a single
pingfreezes the world, and the watchdog kills it; - it lets you reach the network from our address, and all the other servers on the node would have to answer for it.
There is automation without them: Minecraft commands, scheduling, and the server API. If you think we got a specific plugin wrong, write to support and we'll review it manually.
Ready-made modpacks
A modpack is a core, a version, and a hundred mods in one bundle. It installs the same way, but with two caveats:
- A modpack changes the server's core and version — it dictates them itself.
- Installing a new modpack deletes the current world: a world with the old mod set won't open on the new set. Before deleting, the control panel makes a backup; you can see it in the “World and copies” → “Backups” section.
Modpacks have a memory requirement. If your plan is smaller, the control panel will reject it with a clear message instead of letting the server crash from lack of memory at startup.
If the server won't start after installation
Open the “Overview” section — when it crashes, a card with the reason appears there. Most often it's:
- a mod for a different version — remove it or change the server version;
- not enough memory — the modpack is heavier than the plan;
- a plugin on a modded core (or vice versa).
For more details, see Server crashed: what to do and Server won't start.
What's actually worth installing
A ready-made list by task — A selection of useful plugins. The difference between cores and what works on which — Core and version.
