// modpack server guide
SkyFactory 5 server hosting & setup guide
A SkyFactory 5 server needs Java 17 and about 7–8 GB of RAM for up to 3 players.
The fifth SkyFactory, on Forge 1.20.1: a void-world pack where resources come from colour and dye, mobs are unlocked by beating gateways, and Create joins the series for the first time.
Pack details checked by hand against SkyFactory 5 on CurseForge on October 5, 2026.
SkyFactory 5 is a Forge modpack for Minecraft 1.20.1 with 293 mods. We'd pick our Premium plan (8 GB) for it.
- The authors' server guide warns that the server is taxing on the CPU as well as RAM, especially with a lot of players.
Quick facts
| Loader | Forge |
|---|---|
| Minecraft versions | 1.20.1 |
| Java needed | Java 17 for Minecraft 1.20.1 Java version chart. |
| Mods | 293 modsThe number of mods CurseForge lists for the pack, client-side ones included. |
| RAM | About 7–8 GB for 1–3 playersBy player count. |
| Downloads | 1,615,186 on CurseForgeAs of October 5, 2026. |
| Latest version | March 11, 2025 (version 5.0.8)The newest version when we checked on October 5, 2026. |
| Official server files | Download pagePublished next to most versions on CurseForge, for example SkyFactory_5_Server_5.0.8.zip for version 5.0.8. |
| Authors' RAM advice | The server guide in SkyFactory 5's repository recommends at least 4 GB for the server, and the CurseForge page recommends at least 6 GB for the game.Source |
| Where to get it | SkyFactory 5 on CurseForge |
| Tags | magic, tech, skyblock |
SkyFactory 5 server files
SkyFactory 5's authors publish official server files. Published next to most versions on CurseForge, for example SkyFactory_5_Server_5.0.8.zip for version 5.0.8. Get the official server files.
Use the server files for the exact version your players install: a server and client on different pack versions won't connect.
How much RAM does a SkyFactory 5 server need?
| Players online | RAM | DSN plan |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 players | About 7–8 GB | Premium (8 GB) |
| 4–8 players | About 8–10 GB | Heavy (12 GB)Premium (8 GB) can do if players stay close. |
| 9–15 players | About 9.5–12.5 GB | Heavy (12 GB) if players stay closeMore than 12 GB if they spread out. |
Estimated from 293 mods with our RAM calculator, set against the authors' own advice, not measured: low end if players stay together, high end if they spread out. What the authors say: The server guide in SkyFactory 5's repository recommends at least 4 GB for the server, and the CurseForge page recommends at least 6 GB for the game.
With 9–15 players spread across the map, SkyFactory 5 can need more than 12 GB, our biggest plan. A lower view distance and a pre-generated world help it fit; past that, a host with bigger plans is the better choice.
Set Java's heap (-Xmx) 10–15% under the RAM you have, about -Xmx7000M on 8 GB. Forge 1.20.1 reads it from user_jvm_args.txt: uncomment the -Xmx line. RAM guide.
SkyFactory 5 server requirements
| Java | Java 17 |
|---|---|
| Loader | Forge for Minecraft 1.20.1 |
| CPU | Fast single-core speed (one main thread). With 293 mods, the first start takes minutes. |
| RAM | About 7–12.5 GB for 1–15 players (table above) |
| Disk | The server files, a growing world and backups |
| Network | TCP port 25565 open to players |
Recommended plan
Our pick for SkyFactory 5
Premium
8 GB RAM · planned launch price $30/month
The authors' server guide asks for at least 4 GB, and CurseForge lists 293 mods for the pack, so 8 GB gives a small group headroom.
Ordering is closed until we relaunch. We aren't taking orders or payments while we move to new hardware. Join the launch list and we'll email you when Premium servers open.
Running it for a bigger group or a public server? Go up to Heavy (12 GB, $42/month). Not sure? Email hello@dsnservers.com.
Planned launch price in USD, billed monthly once ordering opens, with a 7-day refund window.
How to make a SkyFactory 5 server on your own PC
What's specific to SkyFactory 5, step by step. The full walkthrough for any pack: how to make a modded Minecraft server.
- Install Java 17.
Check with
java -version. Java version chart. - Get the server files.
Download the official server files for the version your players use and unzip them into an empty folder. Follow the readme that comes with them.
- Start it and accept the EULA.
Run the start script in the server files, or the
run.sh/run.batthe Forge 1.20.1 installer writes, then seteula=trueineula.txtif you accept Mojang's EULA (EULA step). With 293 mods, the first start takes minutes. - Set the RAM with
-Xmx, sized from the table above. - Let friends connect: forward TCP 25565, or use a tunnel or host behind CGNAT (can't connect?).
Or run SkyFactory 5 on DSN
Once we relaunch (join the launch list), on DSN you'd install SkyFactory 5 from the panel's CurseForge modpack installer, pick Java 17 on the Startup tab and accept the EULA in the console. No port forwarding.
How to play SkyFactory 5 with friends
Each player installs SkyFactory 5 with the CurseForge app or Prism Launcher, the same version as the server, and adds the server's address under Multiplayer. The authors' memory advice for the game: The server guide in SkyFactory 5's repository recommends at least 4 GB for the server, and the CurseForge page recommends at least 6 GB for the game.
Different versions of SkyFactory 5 on the server and a client show up as Mismatched mod channel list or mod rejections. Why friends can't join, timeouts included.
Lag and performance on SkyFactory 5
Can't keep up! Is the server overloaded? means ticks take longer than 50 ms; more RAM won't fix that once SkyFactory 5 has enough (tick lag guide). For SkyFactory 5:
- Measure first: spark's
/spark tpsand profiler work on 1.20.1 and name the mod or machine using the tick time. - Distances:
view-distance=8and a lowersimulation-distanceinserver.properties. - Pre-generate: Chunky for 1.20.1,
/chunky radius 3000then/chunky start, before people explore.
Common SkyFactory 5 crashes
What a Forge 1.20.1 server running SkyFactory 5 hits most. For any other error, paste the log into the free crash log analyzer.
- Wrong Java version. SkyFactory 5 on Minecraft 1.20.1 needs Java 17. Started on Java 8, it stops with
UnsupportedClassVersionError: ... class file version 61.0, this version of the Java Runtime only recognizes class file versions up to 52.0. Java version fix. - Out of memory. SkyFactory 5 (293 mods) needs about 7–8 GB for 1–3 players;
java.lang.OutOfMemoryErrormeans it ran out. Out-of-memory fix. - Client-only mod on the server. This one shows up when the mods folder is copied from a player's game instead of installed as a server. Check a mods list with the client-or-server-side checker. Client-only mod fix.
- After adding or updating a mod. Mods you add to SkyFactory 5 by hand usually crash it with a missing dependency or a mixin conflict.
- Ticking entity or block entity. The crash report names it and gives its coordinates. Ticking entity fix.
Updates and support
Before moving SkyFactory 5 past version 5.0.8, back up the world: see updating a modpack server without losing your world.
Bugs in SkyFactory 5 itself go to its authors: issue tracker. Server problems on DSN: hello@dsnservers.com or Discord.
Packs like SkyFactory 5
More: all modpack guides and how to make a modded server.
Run SkyFactory 5 on DSN when we relaunch.
Our pick, Premium: 8 GB, planned at $30/month.
DSN Servers isn't affiliated with SkyFactory 5 or CurseForge. We wrote the summary and checked the pack's facts by hand on October 5, 2026. Sources: curseforge.com, curseforge.com (2), curseforge.com (3), curseforge.com (4), api.cfwidget.com, github.com.