Fabric server setup is quicker than Forge's, but it has one step that trips up a lot of first-timers: almost every Fabric mod also needs Fabric API installed separately, and forgetting it is the single most common cause of a Fabric server crashing on startup.
What you need first
- The exact Minecraft version you are targeting, since Fabric Loader versions are tied to it.
- A matching Java runtime for that Minecraft version.
- An empty folder for the server.
Step 1: Download and run the installer
Grab the installer from Fabric's official installer page. It offers both a graphical mode and a command-line mode.
Graphical mode: open the installer, switch to the Server tab, choose your Minecraft version and loader version, set the install location to your server folder, and click Install. Tick the option to download the vanilla server jar too if offered, it saves a manual step.
Command-line mode, useful for headless setups over SSH:
java -jar fabric-installer-<version>.jar server -mcversion <version> -downloadMinecraft
The -downloadMinecraft flag fetches the matching vanilla server jar automatically.
Step 2: Accept the EULA
Launch the server once with:
java -jar fabric-server-launch.jar nogui
It will generate eula.txt. Open it and change eula=false to eula=true.
Step 3: Install Fabric API
Most Fabric mods depend on Fabric API, a shared library of hooks other mods build on. Download the version matching your Minecraft release and drop the jar directly into the mods folder, it is not optional for the large majority of Fabric mods even though the server will technically start without it.
Step 4: Start the server and add mods
Run the startup command again. Once it is up, stop it, add your mod jars to the mods folder alongside Fabric API, and restart. A Java arguments generator can help tune the startup flags for whatever mod list you settle on.
Common first-run errors
"Mod X requires Fabric API" in the log means exactly what it says, download and add it. Version mismatch errors almost always mean a mod jar built for a different Minecraft version or a different loader (a Forge or NeoForge jar accidentally dropped into a Fabric mods folder) ended up in the folder.
Skipping the manual setup
Tick Hosting's panel installs Fabric (with Fabric API pre-added) through a one-click version selector, no installer command or manual EULA editing required, on every plan including the free tier. Get started on Tick Hosting's plans page.