Glowing Friends
by dagilio
Glowing Friends gives each player who joins a server a random glow color from the 16 vanilla Minecraft colors, so friends can be spotted through walls.
What it does
A Fabric mod that runs on the server alone. When a player joins, the server assigns one of the 16 vanilla colors at random, skipping white, black, light gray and dark gray for the first players so the early colors stay vivid. Once the 17th player joins, the restriction on repeating colors no longer applies and the vibrant colors are prioritized, so players can end up with a shared color. Players outlined in their assigned glow color are visible through walls, which keeps friends findable on a large map.
Because only the server needs the mod, players join without installing anything. When the player count changes, the server can reshuffle everyone's colors at random. The mod is aimed at small, non-competitive servers built around a group of friends, and it technically works with any number of players. The mod is released under All rights reserved and is not open source.
Key features
Random glow colors
Each joining player receives one of the 16 vanilla colors, chosen at random by the server.
Friends through walls
Players are outlined in their glow color, so teammates stay visible behind terrain and structures.
Color reshuffle
The server can reassign colors to everyone already online, drawing new random colors.
Vibrant color priority
After the 17th player joins, repeated colors are allowed and the vibrant colors are favored.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Small friend servers
A group of friends running a private server can tell each other apart at a glance.
Large maps
Players who spread out across a big world can locate teammates without a coordinate command.
Who it’s for: Server owners running small, non-competitive servers for a group of friends, who want player outlines without changing the client.
How it compares
TablistPlus is a Fabric mod that runs on the client alone, for 1.21 – 26.2, and is not open source under the MIT License. Online Friends is also client-side only, under the Apache License 2.0, but is tied to 1.21.4 and is not open source. Join Message is server-side only, like Glowing Friends, but targets 1.20.1 – 1.20.6 and is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glowing Friends | Fabric | 26.1.2 | Server-side only | 2026-08-27 |
| TablistPlus | Fabric | 1.21 – 26.2 | Client-side only | 2026-06-27 |
| Online Friends | Fabric | 1.21.4 | Client-side only | 2026-09-07 |
| Join Message | Fabric | 1.20.1 – 1.20.6 | Server-side only | 2024-12-17 |
Questions
Does Glowing Friends need to be installed on the client?
Which game version does Glowing Friends support?
Can a player choose their own glow color?
In the catalog
Glowing Friends is one of 5,392 Social mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,084 Social mods for Fabric. 15,189 mods support Minecraft 26.1.2.
More from dagilio
Similar mods
What the author says
Fully server-side Fabric mod that outlines your friends with a colored glow effect. Targeted for small non-competitive servers made up of friends, but technically works for any number of players.
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/glowing-friends-dagilio
- Owner
- dagilio
- Published
- 2026-08-27
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-08-27
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15