What open-source Minecraft server and client should I use to ensure zero telemetry, with modding support?
What do you mean by open source client?
Zero telemetry is tricky. I do not believe there is much to Minecraft telemetry outside of plugins/mods sending semi-anonymous usage pings out every once in a while (which can generally be disabled per-plugin)
In terms of open source servers, that’s also complicated. Both Fabric and Paper are developed open-source, but both rely on a bit of a technical legal loophole. Rather than distribute proprietary Minecraft assets, they download the Minecraft server from Mojang on first run and modify it using their open source code.
IDK how familiar you are with the Minecraft plugin/mod scene, but both Paper and Fabric are great but different.
Paper is leaner by default, but only supports server-side plugins, which have limits but mean that just about anyone can hop straight into a paper server without having to spend hours configuring clients. Generally paper servers have a more “vanilla” vibe with options for QOL improvements.
Fabric mods can run on the server, the client, or both, depending on what is being done. Generally, visual updates are client side, optimizations/QOL fixes are server side, and new assets need to be run on both, but there’s a lot of exceptions to those generalizations. With Fabric you can turn Minecraft into something completely different if you want. The downside is if someone does not have the right mods installed they likely can’t join your server.
I am using fabric, I think paper don’t support mods. But fabric still uses Minecraft server from Mojang and I don’t know how to block everything it wants to connect but allow everything fabric itself wants to connect
I would just use a normal server with Fabric and look for appropriate mods. Not sure if No Telemetry covers it.
Thanks. This seems to work? I believe it blocks telemetry for both client and server? (if i install it on both client and server?)
To ensure zero telemetry? Luanti, unless you need actual Microsoft Minecraft for something. Remember that it’s a Microsoft product. “zero telemetry” is both difficult, temporary, and never absolutely guaranteed. You can probably easily block most of it and foil their most egregious data gathering practices, but you can never be completely sure. It will be a constant effort to avoid Microsoft’s relentless and creative methods for enshittification. Reduced, minimal telemetry is possible and if you’ve got specific requirements that’s fine, but then you’re pinned to that version and configuration permanently. Zero telemetry Minecraft is like walking around with a loaded gun, it may never go off, but it’s a lot more likely than if you weren’t carrying a loaded gun.
I see. What do you think about this mod? It seems to disable all telemetry (for now).
How am I supposed to judge that? How are you? Closed source software released by an evil company can’t be trusted, full stop. If you choose to offer it limited trust, that’s on you and you should understand the limitations of that trust if that’s what you plan on doing.
You might have better luck blocking it at the network level. The downside of that is, depending on what is being sent over the network and why, it may no longer work. If you have to punch holes in it for server access, for example, now you no longer have any guarantee that the server port will not start collecting and sending telemetry that way. You also have no guarantee any server you connect to isn’t also gathering and sending telemetry if it has network access to that port.
This is a slippery slope into a bottomless pit. Either cling to the side of it at your own peril, or give up and leap into the void. If you accept them getting some telemetry on you and you’re happy just sandboxing it as much as you can, reducing the potential value of the telemetry as much a you can, and making it as difficult for them as possible, that’s one thing. Go ahead and mod it with mods like this, put whatever limits you want on it, and hope they hold up over the long term against an evil corporation with billions of dollars to burn should they feel like it. You’re counting on the fact that they won’t feel like it, and that’s probably fine.
Just understand what you’re up against. There’s no silver bullet for killing this monster. If you don’t want any telemetry, that’s what open source and trustworthy privacy-respecting maintainers are for. Minecraft has neither. If you’re going to make a deal with the devil, you can do your best to make sure it’s a good deal, but they’re probably not going to follow it anyway.
You might have better luck blocking it at the network level. The downside of that is, depending on what is being sent over the network and why, it may no longer work. If you have to punch holes in it for server access, for example, now you no longer have any guarantee that the server port will not start collecting and sending telemetry that way. You also have no guarantee any server you connect to isn’t also gathering and sending telemetry if it has network access to that port.
I think this is the way. But what domain to block?
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What? The java modding community is has been using the decompiled source code for years, and that was before Mojang deobfuscated it. I’ve poked through it myself. It may not be open source, but it is publicly available. There are a lot of eyeballs on that code.
And most java mods are open source, including the no telemetry mod OP linked.
