Since NeoForge is a fork of Forge, its server installation process is nearly identical, with a couple of naming and version differences worth knowing before you start.
What you need first
- Your target Minecraft version. NeoForge only supports 1.20.2 and later (it never went back to fully support 1.20.1), so double-check compatibility if you are working from an older modpack.
- A matching Java runtime, Java 21 for current NeoForge releases.
- An empty folder for the server.
Step 1: Download the installer
Get the installer for your target version from neoforged.net. Like Forge, this is a single jar that handles both client and server installs depending on the flag you run it with.
Step 2: Install in server mode
From a terminal in your empty server folder:
java -jar neoforge-<version>-installer.jar --installServer
This downloads the required libraries and creates run.sh / run.bat startup scripts plus a user_jvm_args.txt file, where NeoForge expects you to set JVM flags like RAM allocation rather than editing the run script directly.
Step 3: Set your RAM allocation
Open user_jvm_args.txt and add your memory flags, for example:
-Xmx4G
-Xms4G
If you are unsure how much to allocate for your modpack, a RAM calculator can give you a specific recommendation instead of guessing.
Step 4: Accept the EULA and launch
Run the startup script once, it will generate eula.txt. Change eula=false to eula=true, then run the script again. NeoForge's first real launch takes a while as it finishes initializing, this is expected.
Step 5: Add mods
Drop NeoForge-compatible mod jars into the mods folder. Since NeoForge and Forge are separate ecosystems despite the shared history, a mod built for Forge will not load on NeoForge and vice versa, always confirm which loader a mod page targets before downloading.
If it won't start
Check logs/latest.log for the specific mod or library named in the crash. Version mismatches (Forge mod on NeoForge, or a mod built for a different Minecraft release) account for most first-launch failures, the same as with Forge.
Skipping the manual setup
Tick Hosting's panel installs NeoForge with a one-click version selector, RAM allocation included, no user_jvm_args.txt editing required. Available on every plan, including the free tier, from Tick Hosting's plans page.