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Create modpack server hosting: RAM, plan and setup

4 min readUpdated Nov 3, 2026Copy link

Create adds gears, belts and contraptions to Minecraft, and several popular packs are built around it. This page covers Create: Arcane Engineering, Create: Astral and a Create server you build yourself.

Which Create pack #

Create is a mod, not one pack. Pick the version that matches what your group plays:

Create: Arcane Engineering mixes Create with Immersive Engineering and magic, and says it was inspired by Create: Above and Beyond. Create: Astral is a Fabric pack with quests and space travel to the Moon, Mars and Mercury, and its page says its server package is tuned for steady TPS. Both packs are on CurseForge. The Create mod itself is on Modrinth.

How much RAM a Create server needs #

Create: Arcane Engineering's own page says: 8 GB recommended, 4 GB minimum. Create: Astral's page gives no RAM number. A plain Create server with a few extra mods is much lighter than either pack.

Our practical range for a server (an estimate, not a number from the packs). Create's moving contraptions and big factories cost CPU as well as RAM, so the bigger the builds, the more headroom you want:

Which ESN plan fits #

Forge and NeoForge need a plan with at least 2 GB on ESN, Fabric at least 1 GB. Prices are the regular monthly list prices; see plans and billing.

CPU

On ESN, 100% CPU is one full core. Minecraft runs most game logic on one main thread, so a big modpack needs a strong core more than many cores. The extra cores still help with chunk loading, world generation and Java garbage collection, which modpacks do a lot of. The Minecraft-ready Pro plans give more CPU per GB (ESN Pro 8GB has 400%, ESN Extreme 8 GB has 250%), so pick Pro when players explore a lot or the pack has heavy automation.

Set up a Create server on ESN #

Create: Arcane Engineering or Create: Astral

1. Buy a plan and choose Forge (CAE) or Fabric (Astral) as the Minecraft type (see the plan table above).
2. Open Startup. Set the Minecraft version to 1.18.2 and the Forge (CAE) or Fabric (Astral) version to the one the pack uses (it is in the server files or on the pack's file page). In Docker Image, pick Java 17.
3. Go to Settings and choose Reinstall Server so the panel downloads that loader version. Do this before you upload anything you care about.
4. Download the official server files on your computer and unzip them. On the pack's CurseForge page open Files, pick the version your players use and download its server pack from Additional Files.
5. Upload the pack's folders (mods, config and any others it ships, like defaultconfigs or kubejs) to the top folder. Zip them, upload in Files and choose Unarchive, or use SFTP for big packs. You don't need the pack's start scripts or installer jar. See upload files.
6. Press Start on the Console. Accept the EULA prompt (or set eula=true in eula.txt).
7. Wait for the Done line. The first start of a big pack takes a few minutes. Then join with the same pack version.

Your own Create pack

Buy a NeoForge (1.21.1) or Fabric (1.20.1) server. In Files, use Browse mods to add Create and its add-ons, or upload the .jar files to mods. On Fabric, add Fabric API too. Players need the same mods and versions. See add plugins and mods.

RAM and Java flags: you don't edit -Xmx on ESN. The panel starts the server and sets its memory from your plan, so the pack's own user_jvm_args.txt and start scripts are not used. If you need custom startup flags, ask in the ESN Systems Discord. See startup settings and the startup flags generator for what the flags do.

Common problems #

• "Can't keep up! Is the server overloaded?" Normal once during the first start. If it repeats while people play, profile it with spark and fix the top cause. See fix "Can't keep up".
• Players can't join, "mismatched mod list" or missing mods. Every player needs the exact same pack version as the server. Update the server and all players together.
• The server crashes at start with a client-only mod. Shaders, minimaps and menu mods sometimes only run on the client. Use the official server files, which leave them out, and don't copy your client mods folder.
• "Unsupported class file major version" or UnsupportedClassVersionError. Wrong Java version. Change Docker Image in Startup and restart.
• OutOfMemoryError or the server stops under load. The pack needs more RAM than your plan has. Lower view-distance or move to a bigger plan. See Minecraft RAM.
• Lag next to a huge factory. Many moving contraptions and long belt lines are heavy on the main thread. spark will name them; split big machines up or slow them down.

FAQ #

How much RAM does a Create server need?

Create: Arcane Engineering recommends 8 GB with 4 GB as the minimum. A small Create server with a few mods runs on 4 GB; big packs and factories need 6 to 12 GB.

Is Create Forge or Fabric?

Both. Create 6 runs on NeoForge for 1.21.1, and Create Fabric runs on Fabric for 1.20.1. Packs pick one: Arcane Engineering is Forge, Astral is Fabric.

Why does my Create server lag near big machines?

Moving contraptions and long belts run on the main server thread. Profile with spark, then split or slow down the biggest machines.

Sources: Create: Arcane Engineering on CurseForge (8 GB recommended, 4 GB minimum; Forge 1.18.2; CAE 1.9.3) (checked Nov 3, 2026) · Create: Astral on CurseForge (Fabric 1.18.2, v2.1.5b; no RAM figure stated) (checked Nov 3, 2026) · Create on Modrinth (6.0.10 for NeoForge 1.21.1) (checked Nov 3, 2026) · Create Fabric on Modrinth (6.0.8.1 for Fabric 1.20.1) (checked Nov 3, 2026)

Still stuck? Use the live chat on the panel or ask in the ESN Systems Discord. Last updated November 3, 2026.