Starlight (Forge)
by spottedleaf
Light updates in Starlight are handled by a rewritten light engine, aimed at the lighting slowdowns and errors that large servers ran into in Minecraft Forge.
What it does
Starlight replaces the vanilla light engine. The author wrote it for dedicated servers with many players, where lighting updates were slow enough to cause performance problems. The mod is meant to fix both lighting speed and lighting errors. Its technical behavior is described in a separate document included with the project.
The mod can be installed on a dedicated server, on a client, or on both, and it is not required on both sides. A server running Starlight lets clients join without it, and a client running Starlight can connect to servers without it. The project is released under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only and publishes its source code and issue tracker. Forge files are published for 10 release versions, with 1.1.3+1.20.2 for 1.20.2 as the latest file, first released on 2021-09-12 and last updated on 2023-10-27.
Key features
Rewritten light engine
The vanilla light engine is replaced with a version built to update block light faster and with fewer errors.
Chunk generation speed
The author's benchmarks cover light calculation during chunk generation in earlier releases.
High-level block editing
Block changes at high y-levels are one of the areas where the author reports performance measurements.
Light updates on block edits
Normal block light updates are one of the measured areas, covering how light spreads after blocks change.
Source code and issue tracker
The project publishes its source code and an issue tracker for reporting bugs and lighting errors.
Compatibility
Latest build for each game version and loader.
1.20.x3 of 3 versions with builds
1.19.x4 of 4 versions with builds
1.18.x2 of 2 versions with builds
1.17.x1 of 1 version with builds
Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.
Use cases
Large dedicated servers
The mod was developed for higher scale dedicated servers that suffered from slow light updates.
Who it’s for: Server owners running large multiplayer worlds, and players who want faster lighting on Forge.
How it compares
Pulsar Lighting Engine is also a Forge light engine replacement, open source under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 only, with files for 1.12.2 and an environment of client and server, so it needs installing on both sides. Alfheim is open source under the MIT License, for 1.12.2, and works on either side, and neither needs it. Starlight can be installed on either side or both.
| Mod | Loaders | Game versions | Environment | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starlight (Forge) | Forge | 1.17.1 – 1.20.2 | Client or server, optional | 2023-10-27 |
| Pulsar Lighting Engine | Forge | 1.12.2 | Client and server | 2026-10-12 |
| Alfheim | Forge | 1.12.2 | Client or server, optional | 2025-06-23 |
Questions
Does Starlight need to be installed on both the server and the client?
Which Forge versions does Starlight support?
Why was Starlight developed?
Is Starlight open source?
In the catalog
Starlight (Forge) is one of 3,545 Optimization mods on ModsFinder, and one of 1,441 Optimization mods for Forge. 12,076 mods support Minecraft 1.20.2.
More from spottedleaf
Similar mods
What the author says
Starlight ================== Forge mod for rewriting the light engine to fix lighting performance and lighting errors. Compatibility ------------------ Starlight can be installed either on the dedicated server or client. It is not required to be installed on both sides. If you have Starlight on the server, clients…
Official listing
- Modrinth page
- modrinth.com/mod/starlight-forge
- Owner
- spottedleaf
- Published
- 2021-09-12
- Updated on Modrinth
- 2023-10-27
- Facts verified
- 2026-10-15