Minecraft datapacks on a server: what they are and how to add one

What a datapack is

Think of a datapack as a stack of instruction cards that the game reads when a world loads. It isn’t a program like a plugin, and it doesn’t rewrite the game like a mod. It’s a folder (or a zip) full of files that describe things the game already knows how to use: crafting recipes, loot, advancements, world generation.

That makes datapacks the lightest option. They run on a plain Vanilla server, they need nothing installed on the players’ side, and they belong to one world rather than the whole server.

Where the files go

Inside your world’s folder there’s a folder called datapacks. Drop the pack in there, as a zip or an unpacked folder, and the world picks it up. The world folder is named “world” unless you changed level-name in server.properties.

Because the pack belongs to the world, a new world starts without it. Make a second world on the same server and you’ll have to add the pack there as well.

Turning it on

A new pack is noticed when the world loads, so a restart is the surest way to get it going. You can also try the reload command in the console. After that, ask the server what it sees:

datapack list

The answer lists the packs that are enabled and the ones that are available but off. A pack in the second group can be switched on with the enable command and the pack’s name, and off again with disable.

The version trap

Every datapack declares which game version it was written for, in a small file called pack.mcmeta. If the number doesn’t match your server, the game flags the pack as made for a different version and may leave it off or load it half-working.

The fix is boring and reliable: download the file made for your exact version. When you’re browsing in a catalogue, that’s the filter to use.

Datapacks in Mineshire

Java servers have a Datapacks tab. It looks like the Plugins tab: an Installed list on top, a Browse datapacks button, and an Import menu. Datapacks are the one kind where the Import menu accepts a whole folder as well as a zip.

Browsing is limited to packs that match your server’s version, with a padlock if you want to see the rest. Mineshire puts the file in the active world’s datapacks folder for you, so there’s nothing to find or copy by hand.

One more thing, because it’s easy to lose a pack without noticing. When you use “New world” on a server, the old world is thrown away but its datapacks are kept. That’s deliberate, and it saves you hunting them down again.

Datapack, plugin or mod?

• Want new recipes, advancements or tweaks to what the game already does? Try a datapack first.
• Want commands, permissions, land claims or things the game has no notion of? That’s a plugin.
• Want new blocks, mobs or a different game? That’s a mod, and everyone joining needs it too.

The comparison post on this blog goes deeper on the last two. For the first one, you’ve just read most of what there is to know.