Our Fabric mods listing holds 374 Java mods with a Fabric build. This page cuts that to ten: Sodium and Lithium for speed, Iris for shader packs, Mod Menu, Xaero's Minimap and Jade for the interface, Tectonic and Regions Unexplored for terrain, and Cobblemon and Deeper and Darker for new content. Each pick lists what it needs on Fabric and one limit.
How we picked these Fabric mods
We started from 374 Java mod pages on our site that have a Fabric file. Modrinth download counts, read on 5 October 2026, exist for 364 of them; the other 10 come from another source and carry no count. We sorted the mods into five groups by what players use Fabric for and ordered each group by Modrinth downloads. Libraries such as Fabric API and Cloth Config are left out because they are requirements, not choices. We did not benchmark or play-test any of these. Downloads favour older projects, and a count is not a score.
| Mod | Fabric range | Newest Fabric file | Needs on Fabric | Downloads on Modrinth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sodium | 1.16.3 to 26.3 | alpha, 20 September 2026 | Nothing | 237,128,979 |
| Lithium | 1.16.2 to 26.3 | release, 28 September 2026 | Nothing | 132,473,654 |
| Iris Shaders | 1.16.5 to 26.3 | release, 30 September 2026 | Sodium | 184,458,166 |
| Mod Menu | 1.14.4 to 26.3 | release, 24 September 2026 | Fabric API, plus a second library with no page on our site | 150,173,970 |
| Xaero's Minimap | 1.16.2 to 26.3 | release, 5 October 2026 | Fabric API | 114,266,418 |
| Jade | 1.17.1 to 26.3 | release, 2 October 2026 | Fabric API | 69,847,160 |
| Tectonic | 1.18.2 to 26.3 | release, 27 September 2026 | Fabric API, Lithostitched | 16,751,375 |
| Regions Unexplored | 1.19.2 to 26.1.2 | beta, 6 August 2026 | Fabric API, Lithostitched | 9,773,269 |
| Cobblemon | 1.19.2 to 1.21.1 | release, 12 September 2026 | Fabric API | 35,841,106 |
| Deeper and Darker | 1.19.1 to 1.21.1 | alpha, 11 July 2026 | Fabric API, oωo (owo-lib) | 15,887,464 |
What a Fabric mod needs to run
Every mod here needs Fabric Loader installed for the same Minecraft version, and most also need Fabric API, as the table shows. Sodium and Lithium list no required mods on Fabric. Our Fabric install guide covers the loader, and the files go in the mods folder. When Fabric moves to a new Minecraft version, check each mod's Fabric range before you update.
Performance and shader support
Three mods cover this group. Sodium handles rendering, Lithium handles game logic, and Iris loads shader packs on top of Sodium. For the wider field of speed mods, see our optimization mods roundup.
Sodium
Sodium
@CaffeineMC · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Pick Sodium if frame rate is the problem. Its Modrinth page calls it a rendering engine replacement that improves frame rates and reduces micro-stutter, and on Fabric it needs no other mod. It is client-only. The page says desktop graphics cards with OpenGL 4.5 are officially supported, while Android and Windows-on-ARM translation layers are not. The newest Fabric file is tagged alpha, and the licence file is PolyForm Shield 1.0.0.
Lithium
Lithium
@jellysquid3 · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Lithium targets game logic such as physics, mob AI and block ticking, and its page says the goal is to change no vanilla mechanics. It works on the client and the server, and a server can run it without players installing it. It does not replace Sodium, because it leaves rendering alone, and its page says it needs not even Fabric API. The licence file is LGPL-3.0. Its gains are the author's claim, not ours to confirm.
Iris Shaders
Iris Shaders
@coderbot · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Iris is for players who want shader packs on Fabric. Its page describes a loader meant to work with existing OptiFine shader packs and says it supports almost all of them, with a separate list of exceptions. The trade-off is a second install, since the newest Fabric file requires Sodium. It is client-only and under LGPL-3.0, though a dependency licence file warns that glsl-transformer is AGPL-3.0, which may affect redistribution.
Interface and quality of life
Mod Menu
Mod Menu
@Terraformers · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Once you have a dozen mods, Mod Menu gives you one screen that lists them and opens each mod's config screen when the mod supports it. Its page also mentions a Modrinth update checker. The cost is an extra dependency. Files for 1.20.4 and later require Fabric API and a second library for formatted mod descriptions, and we have no page for that library. It is client-only and MIT licensed.
Xaero's Minimap
Xaero's Minimap
@thexaero · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Choose this for a minimap with waypoints and an automatic cave mode. Its page says it keeps the vanilla look and ships a fair-play edition for servers that restrict minimap features. Fabric API is required, and the server side is optional. The limit is licensing. Modrinth lists All Rights Reserved and the project links no source code.
Jade
Jade
@Snownee · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Jade shows what you are looking at, and its page calls it a Hwyla/Waila successor for modern versions. Pick it if you want block and mob details on screen without opening a recipe viewer. It needs Fabric API. It installs on the client alone, but the page says many features, such as item storage, brewing stand fuel and bees in a hive, need Jade on the server too. The licence is CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, which restricts commercial use.
World generation
Terrain mods change what new chunks look like, so they matter most when you start a fresh world. Our explainer on world generation mods versus data packs covers the difference.
Tectonic
Tectonic
@Apollo · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Tectonic reshapes terrain into continent-sized landmasses with tall mountain ranges, deeper oceans, canyons and underground rivers. Its page says it works with biome mods that use Terrablender or Biolith, naming Regions Unexplored among them. The server must have it, while clients may skip it. Its page says only 1.21.1 and 26.1 get fixes. Modrinth labels it MIT, but we found no licence file in the repository.
Regions Unexplored
Regions Unexplored
@Apollo · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Regions Unexplored is the pick for variety. Its page says it adds 64 biomes across the Overworld and Nether, plus new blocks and items. Both client and server need it. On Fabric the newest file requires Fabric API and Lithostitched, while older files need TerraBlender instead. That file is tagged beta, and the Fabric files stop at 26.1.2, so it trails the other picks here. The licence file is MIT.
Larger content mods
Cobblemon
Cobblemon
@BlazingBRO · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Cobblemon is for players who want a Pokémon mod. Its page lists over 800 Pokémon to catch, Showdown-based battles, pastures and fossils, and says it runs better on Fabric than NeoForge. Both client and server need it, along with Fabric API. Its Fabric files stop at 1.21.1, so it cannot run beside the 26.3 mods above. Its authors state it is not affiliated with Pokémon or Minecraft, and the licence is MPL-2.0.
Deeper and Darker
Deeper and Darker
@KyaniteMods · Java Mod
Checked Source and install notes
Deeper and Darker adds a dimension called the Otherside, entered by killing the warden and using its heart. Its page lists over a hundred blocks, warden armor and tools, and 8 new mobs. Players and server both need it, and the newest Fabric file requires Fabric API and oωo (owo-lib). The licence is AGPL-3.0.
Where to find more Fabric mods
The deciding fact is the version ceiling. Sodium, Lithium, Iris, Mod Menu, Xaero's Minimap, Jade and Tectonic list Fabric files up to 26.3, while Regions Unexplored stops at 26.1.2 and Cobblemon and Deeper and Darker at 1.21.1. Pick the Minecraft version first, then the mods. Everything we left out sits on the Fabric mods listing. To compare loaders, read Fabric vs Forge vs NeoForge.