Modrinth, one of the most popular platforms for Minecraft mods and servers, rolled out an update to Modrinth Hosting on November 2, 2026, that makes joining modded servers significantly easier. The new feature lets you invite friends with a single link or by username, and all mods, resource packs, and shaders are distributed automatically with no manual installation needed on the player's end. The change mainly affects people using Modrinth App and Modrinth Hosting, but it also impacts compatible launchers through .mrpack file exports.

No more manual mod installation

The Modrinth team describes the problem this update is meant to solve in plain terms: running a modded server with friends has always involved a lot of manual work. Previously, the person setting up a modded server had to put together a mod list themselves, send it to friends, and each player had to manually match mod versions to the right Minecraft version and launcher. On servers with dozens of mods, a resource pack, and shaders, that process tended to be tedious and prone to version mismatches.

After the update, the platform takes over that whole step. A player joining a server through Modrinth App automatically gets a fully prepared instance with all the required content, with no need to download files from outside sites or forums. For servers built on large modpacks, popular among Polish survival and technical players alike, this is a real change to day-to-day server use.

The centerpiece of the update is a new "Play" tab in the server panel. It lets a server owner invite friends directly from the app, either by entering a Modrinth username or sending an invite link. Whoever receives the invite just launches Minecraft and connects to the server without typing in an IP address or port, which used to be a common source of trouble when logging into a new server for the first time.

The feature also includes player management in one place: the server owner can see who's been invited, who has joined, and control access without switching between the hosting panel and a separate communication tool. This brings Modrinth closer to the model known from console platforms, where joining a friend's game takes just one click.

The "Enabled for" column controls server content

The second major addition is an "Enabled for" column in the content management panel, with three options: Server, Player, and Both. It lets you precisely define where a given piece of modpack content gets applied:

  • Server, content that only runs on the server, e.g. world logic or optimization mods
  • Player, content installed only on the player's side, e.g. shaders or cosmetic mods
  • Both, elements required on both the server and the client, like most gameplay mods

The system automatically detects the right environment based on the version metadata of mods published on Modrinth, which cuts down on manually tagging each item one by one. For server admins managing large mod lists, where some mods are client-side only, this saves time with every modpack update.

Export to .mrpack and migration of existing servers

Content configured on a server can be exported as an .mrpack file and imported into other compatible launchers, which keeps things flexible for players who don't use Modrinth App but prefer other tools for managing mods on Minecraft Java Edition. The .mrpack format has long been a standard for sharing modpacks within this part of the community, so compatibility in both directions matters in practice.

Existing servers that were running on the older content management system need a one-time migration. According to Modrinth, this process will run automatically the first time a server is shared after the update, and the system creates a backup of the data before migrating, which minimizes the risk of losing configuration when moving to the new mechanism.

What this means for Polish modded servers

For the Polish community, which runs its own Minecraft servers based on technical or magic modpacks, the update means less technical support needed when bringing new players on board. Admins running servers with mods often lost time walking friends through step-by-step launcher setup instead of actually playing. Automatic content distribution and link-based invites genuinely shorten that process, especially for smaller, private servers for groups of friends, which make up a large part of the Polish modded scene.

Modrinth hasn't published any statistics in this update regarding the number of servers affected by the change, focusing instead on describing the feature itself and the migration process. The team says further developments to Modrinth Hosting will be announced in separate posts on the platform's blog.

Sources