The ViaVersion suite allows server owners as well as players to allow client connection to servers of different Minecraft versions through a bit of magic:tm:. Below, you can find an overview of the projects to find the one that suits your exact needs.
| ViaVersion | ViaBackwards (requires ViaVersion) | ViaRewind (requires VB) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed on | Server: 1.8.8-latest | Servers: 1.10-latest | Servers: 1.8.8-latest |
| Allows | All client versions that are newer than your server | Client versions that are older than your server down to 1.9 | 1.7.10-1.8.9 clients |
| Additional benefits | Less gameplay and anti-cheat issues if run on a Paper server | Less gameplay issues if using ViaRewind Legacy Support |
*To load Via plugins on either BungeeCord or Sponge, you will need to use extra bootstrapping plugins. See ViaBungee and ViaSponge.
Depending on the setup, these include ViaVersion, ViaBackwards, ViaRewind, and ViaLegacy.
| ViaFabric | ViaFabricPlus | ViaForge | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installed on | Fabric client or server: Latest minor version of 1.8, 1.12, 1.14-latest | Fabric client: Latest | Forge client: Latest minor version of 1.8, 1.12, 1.14-1.20.4 |
| Allows | Connecting to 1.8.8-latest release servers* | Connecting to classic to latest release servers | Connecting to classic to latest release servers |
| Additional benefits | Less potential for mod incompatibilities than ViaFabricPlus | Less gameplay and anti-cheat issues | Less gameplay and anti-cheat issues |
*If you want to connect to servers that are newer than your client, you need to add ViaBackwards (and ViaRewind on 1.8) to your mod directory.
These are proxies you host. By connecting through them with your client (can be modded or unmodded), you can join servers of different versions. Depending on the setup, these include ViaVersion, ViaBackwards, ViaRewind, and ViaLegacy.
| VIAaaS | ViaProxy | |
|---|---|---|
| Installed on | Local or remote instances to any server | Local instances to any server, or remote instances to a specific server |
| Allows | Connecting to 1.8.8-latest release servers | Connecting to classic to latest release servers |
| Additional benefits | Has already running, public instances | User-friendly graphical user interface for local instances |
These projects are not directly for users, but internal projects respectively libraries which are mainly used by the above-mentioned projects.
| ViaLegacy | ViaAprilFools | ViaLoader | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implemented in | ViaFabricPlus and ViaProxy | ViaFabricPlus, VIAaaS and ViaProxy | ViaFabricPlus, ViaForge and ViaProxy |
| What it does | Allows connecting to classic-1.7.10 servers | Allows connecting to 3D Shareware, 20w14infinite and Combat Test 8c servers | Allows easy implementation and loading of the Via* projects. |
