Ruined Portals Only
Ruined Portals Only restricts where Nether portals can be lit, so players must travel to ruined portal sites or other permitted structures and biomes to reach the Nether.
What it does
The mod blocks lighting a portal inside the bounding box of a ruined portal structure, and it can also limit portal creation in the Overworld to chosen structures and biomes. A player who tries to light a restricted portal gets a helpful message explaining why it will not activate. Return portals generated when a player travels through a portal remain lit within the restricted area, and they stay lit until destroyed, after which the spot cannot be relit.
Settings are changed through Mod Menu, where the in-game configuration screen offers presets and custom values. The custom options read separate lists for Overworld and Nether biomes and structures, and modded structures and biomes can be added to those lists. Ruined Portals Only is a Fabric mod for 1.20.1 – 1.21.11, released under the MIT License, and it is not open source. Every player and the server need a copy of the mod.
Key features
Restricted ruined portal areas
Lighting a portal inside a ruined portal structure's bounding box is blocked, which keeps the Nether reachable only by exploration.
Custom Overworld and Nether lists
Custom options read separate biome and structure lists for each dimension, so portal creation can be limited to chosen places.
Modded structures and biomes
Lists can include modded structures and biomes, so portal rules can follow content added by other mods.
Lit return portals
Return portals created on travel stay lit in the restricted area until they are destroyed, then cannot be relit.
Gallery
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
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.
Use cases
Who it’s for: Server owners and modpack builders who want to control Nether access by location. Single-player players who prefer unrestricted portal lighting may not need it.
How it compares
Dimensional mixer is a Fabric mod for 1.20.1 that only the server needs, released under the MIT License and not open source. Portal Lock: Dimension Control is also a Fabric server-side mod for 1.20.1 – 26.2, but it is under All rights reserved and is not open source. Stranded Soldiers: Guardians of the Nether Portals is a Fabric server-side mod for 1.21.4 – 26.3, released under the MIT License. Ruined Portals Only needs both client and server, so its versions and environment differ from those alternatives.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ruined Portals Only | Fabric | 1.20.1 – 1.21.11 | Client and server | 2026-01-28 |
| Dimensional mixer | Fabric | 1.20.1 | Server-side only | 2026-02-28 |
| Portal Lock: Dimension Control | Fabric | 1.20.1 – 26.2 | Server-side only | 2026-06-28 |
| Stranded Soldiers: Guardians of the Nether Portals | Fabric | 1.21.4 – 26.3 | Server-side only | 2026-09-20 |
Questions
Does Ruined Portals Only need to be installed on both sides?
Which loader does Ruined Portals Only use?
Can Ruined Portals Only be configured without editing files?
In the catalog
Ruined Portals Only is one of 7,555 Cursed mods on ModsFinder, and one of 4,235 Cursed mods for Fabric. 19,862 mods support Minecraft 1.21.11.
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What the author says
Return portals generated upon travelling through a portal may generate in a restricted area, but will remain lit until being destroyed, at which point they cannot be re-lit. When "CUSTOM" is selected, values will be read from customOverworldBiomesOption and customOverworldStructuresOption. This allows adding modded…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/ruined-portals-only
- Owner
- Dented Modding
- Published
- 2025-01-10
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2026-01-28
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15