Install Thermal Foundation on your server

Thermal Foundation is the base module of Team CoFH's Thermal series. Its jar describes it as the ores and world generation for the series, and Modrinth describes it as a collection of common components, resources and tools. The machines, farming, transport and other parts of the series are separate mods that build on it. This guide installs Thermal Foundation and the library it needs on a Forge 1.20.1 server.

Checked against Thermal Foundation 11.0.6 with CoFH Core 11.0.2 on Forge 1.20.1, October 2026.

Pick the right build

Modrinth lists these files, all marked release:

• Minecraft 1.20.1: Thermal Foundation 11.0.6, published on 19 June 2024, for Forge and NeoForge.
• Older versions: builds for 1.19.2, 1.18.2 and 1.16.5 are also listed.

The 11.0.6 jar asks for Forge 47.1.3 or newer and CoFH Core 11.0.2 up to, but not including, 11.1.0. It also carries Thermal Core 11.0.6.24 inside it, so you do not install that separately.

To change loader or version, open JAR Manager under More, choose Forge under Server software and 1.20.1 under Minecraft version, then press Apply change. The panel picks the Java version for you. The switch reinstalls the server and keeps your world, so make a backup in the Backups tab first. Change your Minecraft version or mod loader has the full steps.

Install it

1. Open Mods under Content and keep the Modrinth chip selected in the source chip row at the top of the tab. The Game version filter starts on your server's version.
2. Search for Thermal Foundation and press Install on Thermal Foundation.
3. A prompt titled "Needs 1 more add-on" names CoFH Core, which Modrinth lists as required. Press Install all. Install CoFH Core shows that mod on its own.
4. Restart from the Console tab. The install toast says "Restart the server to load them".

Open the Installed view to check. Thermal Foundation and CoFH Core should both be listed with no Failed to load badge.

Players need it too

Modrinth lists Thermal Foundation as required on both the client and the server. Each player installs the same Thermal Foundation and CoFH Core for Forge 1.20.1. Join a modded server from your launcher covers the player side, and Fix the mismatched mod channel list error explains a refusal when the versions differ.

What it adds

The jar's world generation files cover eight ores: apatite, cinnabar, lead, nickel, niter, silver, sulfur and tin. They also cover oil sand and rubberwood trees. The other Thermal modules are listed on the project page: Cultivation, Dynamics, Expansion, Innovation, Integration and Locomotion. Each has its own page and needs CoFH Core too.

Settings

The project page names three config files. thermal-client.toml and thermal-common.toml sit in the config folder, and the common one holds the world generation options. thermal-server.toml sits in the serverconfig folder of your world (no s; the page spells it serverconfigs). Your world folder is the one named by World folder in the Config Editor. Stop the server before you edit a file in the File Manager, then start it again.

Common problems

• The server stops at startup: CoFH Core is missing or outside the range above. Install the newest CoFH Core for Forge 1.20.1.
• A player cannot join: different Thermal Foundation or CoFH Core versions on their side can cause this. Fix the mismatched mod channel list error explains the message.
• Other crashes: Fix mod and plugin errors on Minecraft covers reading the Console log.