What are Forge, Fabric, Spigot, Purpur, Mohist, Magma, Arclight — and which do I use?

Minecraft's server software landscape can be confusing — Forge, Fabric, Spigot, Purpur, Mohist, and more. Here's a quick map of what each one is for, so you can pick the right base for your server.

The software map

Vanilla — unmodified Minecraft. No plugins or mods.
Paper / Purpur / Pufferfish / Spigot — plugin servers (Bukkit family). Use for plugins, best performance, no mods.
Forge / NeoForge / Fabric / Quilt — mod loaders. Use for mods; players need the mods client-side.
Mohist / Magma / Arclight — hybrids that run Forge mods and Bukkit plugins together (less stable; see the hybrid answers).
BungeeCord / Waterfall / Velocity — proxies that link multiple servers into a network (not a game server themselves).

Choosing yours

Want plugins? → Paper.
Want mods? → Forge/Fabric.
Want both? → a hybrid (Mohist/Magma/Arclight).
Building a network? → a proxy (BungeeCord/Waterfall/Velocity).

Install any of these in one click from the Versions tab.

Tip: Hybrids let you mix mods and plugins, but they're less stable than a dedicated Paper or Forge server — see the hybrid answers before committing.

Frequently asked questions

What's the simplest rule of thumb? Plugins → Paper; mods → Forge/Fabric; both → a hybrid; network → a proxy.

Is a proxy a game server? No — proxies like Velocity link multiple game servers into a network; they don't run a world themselves.