How to Install Mods on a Hytale Server (2026)

Two folders

Hytale is modded on the server. Hypixel's own rule is that you should be able to join any modded server without downloading mods yourself, so everything below happens on the server and nothing on your players' computers.

mods: plugins (.jar) and packs (.zip). Almost every mod goes here. The folder is at the top of the server folder, beside config.json, and Hytale's own built-in packs live there too; leave those as they are.
earlyplugins: early (bootstrap) plugins, a rarer kind that changes Hytale's own code as it loads. The server does not create this folder, and it loads them only when early plugins are accepted. A mod that needs one says so on its page.

Before you start

Get mods from CurseForge, Hytale's official mod site, or from the mod author.
Check that the mod supports the Hytale version your server runs. The server updates itself to the newest Hytale build on every start, and the dashboard shows the version it is on.
Take a backup first (the dashboard's Backup tab), so a mod that breaks the world costs you nothing.

Install a mod

1
Download the file.On the mod's CurseForge page, open Files and download the version for your Hytale build. Keep it as it comes: a .jar or a .zip.
2
Open the Files tab.In your server dashboard, open Files. The mods folder is at the top, beside config.json.
3
Upload it into mods.Open mods and use Upload. Upload every file the mod lists as required, including the other mods it depends on.
4
Restart the server.Hytale loads mods only when it starts. Restart from the dashboard, then join and check the mod is there.

Mods that need early plugins

A few mods ship a second file for earlyplugins. Hyfixes, which fixes crashes in Hytale itself, is one: hyfixes.jar goes in mods and hyfixes-early.jar in earlyplugins.

1
Create the folder.In the Files tab, at the top of the server folder (where mods is), use New Folder and name it earlyplugins.
2
Upload the early file into it.And the mod's regular file into mods, if it has one.
3
Turn on Early plugins.In the Deployment Settings tab, open Advanced options, set Early plugins to true and save. Then press Redeploy when the tab offers it: the server restarts with early plugins accepted, and your world stays.

Tip:With an early plugin in earlyplugins and the switch off, Hytale stops at a warning and waits for someone to accept it, so the server never finishes starting. The Hytale Account tab tells you when that happens. Hypixel calls early plugins unsupported and warns they may make the server unstable, so turn the switch on only for a mod that asks for it.

Update or remove a mod

To update: delete the old file from mods, upload the new one and restart. Keeping both versions in the folder is asking for trouble.
To remove: delete the file and restart. Content the mod added to your world may go with it, which is what the backup is for.
After a Hytale update, a mod built for the previous build may need its author's update before it works again.
Mods use memory. A long list is a reason for the next plan up.

If the server does not start after a mod

Read the end of the server log in the Console tab for an error naming the mod.
Delete the last mod you added from mods (or earlyplugins) and restart.
If the world itself was damaged, restore the backup you took before installing.

Frequently asked questions

Where do Hytale server mods go?

In the mods folder at the top of the server folder, beside config.json. Early plugins go in an earlyplugins folder beside it, which you create yourself.

Do players need to install the mods?

No. Hytale mods run on the server, and players get what they need from the server when they join.

What are early plugins?

A rarer kind of mod that changes Hytale's own code as it loads. They go in the earlyplugins folder, and the server loads them only with Early plugins set to true in Deployment Settings.

Do I need to restart after adding a mod?

Yes. Hytale loads mods only when the server starts.

How to Install Mods on a Hytale Server