Colorful Lighting
by erykczy
Colorful Lighting makes block light take on color, so each source glows in a shade set by its block rather than plain white.
What it does
Different blocks emit different light colors, and light passes through stained glass tinted to match the glass. The colors that come through can be filtered and changed by resource packs, because the filter rules live in a JSON file that the pack can replace. Colorful Lighting describes the filters in a filters.json file, which defines the light color that passes through a given block. The example assets folder in the mod shows the format.
The mod runs on the client alone, so only players install it. A server can run without it, and players can join and play with a server that does not have the mod, without problems when the mod is removed from a world. Colorful Lighting is a library for other mods, which add their own colored lights by using it as a dependency. Warnings are included for compatibility with Sodium.
Files target Forge and NeoForge, with 14 release versions, 1.20.1 – 26.2. The code is under the MIT License and is open source, with public links for the source code and the issue tracker. The newest Forge build is 1.3.0 for 1.20.1, dated 2025-11-16, while the newest NeoForge build is dated 2026-06-30.
Key features
Colored block light
Light sources emit a color set by the block that produces them, instead of a single white tone.
Stained glass filtering
Light passing through stained glass takes on the glass color, so colored rooms can be lit through windows.
Customizable filters
A filters.json file defines which light color passes through each block, and resource packs can change those rules.
Library for other mods
Other mods can add colored lights by using the mod as a dependency, without implementing the light logic themselves.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
26.x4 of 4 versions with builds
1.21.x9 of 9 versions with builds
1.20.x1 of 1 version with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
How it compares
Colored Lights (RPLE) is a Forge mod for 1.7.10 that runs on client and server and is open source under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later. Colored Lux is a Forge mod for 1.12.2 that needs the client, while the server may skip it, and it is open source under the MIT License. Shimmer is a client-side only mod for Fabric and Forge covering 1.18.2 – 1.20.6, also open source under the MIT License. Colorful Lighting, by contrast, targets Forge and NeoForge for 1.20.1 – 26.2 and is client-side only.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorful Lighting | Forge and NeoForge | 1.20.1 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-06-30 |
| Colored Lights (RPLE) | Forge | 1.7.10 | Client and server | 2026-09-21 |
| Colored Lux | Forge | 1.12.2 | Client required, server optional | 2026-07-14 |
| Shimmer | Fabric and Forge | 1.18.2 – 1.20.6 | Client-side only | 2026-08-24 |
Questions
Does Colorful Lighting need to be on the server?
Which loaders does Colorful Lighting support?
How are the light colors changed?
In the catalog
Colorful Lighting is one of 3,514 Library mods on ModsFinder, and one of 1,576 Library mods for Forge. 13,894 mods support Minecraft 26.2.
Similar mods
What the author says
The mod adds colored lighting to the game. Other mods that add colored lights can use it as a dependency. # Warning The mod is not compatible with Sodium! You can also create filters.json, where you define what light color passes through a given block. Example:\ assets\\example\\light\\filters.json
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/colorful-lighting
- Owner
- erykczy
- Published
- 2025-05-08
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-06-30
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15