The hard Winter Server Hosting
Each QA Lab test is a boot-and-ping test on a MineXHost QA server: MineXEngine installs the modpack, starts the server, and the server must stay running and answer a Minecraft server-list ping (or, if the pack turns that off, accept a connection on its game port). It does not measure sustained TPS, player joins or long-run stability. The full method is on the modpack test results page.
| Modpack source | Modrinth (official Modrinth page) |
|---|---|
| Pack version tested | the default file Modrinth served when the test ran |
| QA Lab tests | 5 public tests on 4 MineXEngine builds, 5 passed; earliest on record |
| Mod loader | Fabric (as published on Modrinth) |
| Minecraft version | 1.20.1 (as published on Modrinth) |
| Java version | Java 17 (from the Minecraft version) |
| Memory after start-up (observed) | 2.4 GB, median of 5 passing tests on our 12 GB QA test servers, no players online |
| Time to start (observed) | 1 minute 20 seconds, median of 5 passing tests, from the start of the test (pack install included) until the server first reported running |
| Mods loaded (observed) | 183, median of 5 passing tests, as counted by the running server; Fabric counts built-in and bundled modules too |
| Suggested RAM | 5 GB (observed memory rounded up, plus 2 GB headroom) |
| Smallest plan that fits | Wolf: 6 GB, $30 a month |
QA Lab test history
Usually works. 5 of 5 public QA Lab tests with a clear result passed, across 4 MineXEngine builds. Counting tests on MineXEngine 80.0.0 or newer only.
This history counts only the public QA Lab tests of The hard Winter, run on MineXHost's own test servers. A test passes when MineXEngine starts the server and it meets the test described above. Tests that failed count against the pack, except failures caused by MineXHost's own infrastructure, which are left out. Results from customer servers are not counted.
How much memory it needs
Observed at boot on our 12 GB QA test servers: The hard Winter used 2.4 GB of memory after starting (median of 5 passing tests). This is what our test servers recorded with no players online, not a requirement or a promise: Java can use more memory than it strictly needs when more is available, and players, exploring and added mods all use more. MineXHost suggests at least 5 GB: the observed figure rounded up to a whole GB plus 2 GB of headroom, and never less than the 4 GB minimum MineXHost estimates for Fabric packs. The smallest MineXHost plan that covers 5 GB is Wolf (6 GB, $30 a month). The RAM calculator helps size a server.
Test servers and customer servers
These results come from MineXHost's QA Lab test servers. Test servers differ from customer servers:
- Test servers may automatically remove a mod that crashes the server.
- On a customer server, MineXEngine sets aside mods that cannot or should not run there before the first start, such as mods made only for the game client, a second copy of a mod that is installed twice, a mod file too damaged to open, and world-backup mods, because the panel already backs up your server. After a crash it fetches a missing dependency on its own. A mod that crashes the server is named, and you decide whether to remove it.
- After a crash, a customer server moves a mod aside without asking only in a few narrow cases: a mod whose mods.toml file is broken, a client-only mod that crashes the server, a mod MineXEngine has shown stops the server from starting while it is installed, a second copy of a mod that is installed twice, and the existing copy of a dependency that MineXEngine replaces with the version another mod needs. An empty mod file is removed. Every other mod MineXEngine sets aside is moved into a separate folder, not deleted, and can be put back.
- Test servers get 12 GB of memory. Plans start at 3 GB, so a large modpack that passes here can run out of memory on a smaller plan.
Order a server with The hard Winter already selected. MineXEngine installs the pack and sets up the mod loader and Java version.
Order Wolf with The hard Winter Compare all plansFrequently asked questions
Does The hard Winter run on MineXHost?
Latest QA Lab test of The hard Winter (MineXEngine 106.3.0, 11 October 2026): passed. Test history: 5 of 5 public QA Lab tests with a clear result passed, across 4 MineXEngine builds. Counting tests on MineXEngine 80.0.0 or newer only. These results come from MineXHost's QA Lab test servers and show how the pack has done so far, not a promise for every setup.
How much RAM does The hard Winter need?
Observed at boot on our 12 GB QA test servers: The hard Winter used 2.4 GB of memory after starting (median of 5 passing tests). This is what our test servers recorded with no players online, not a requirement or a promise: Java can use more memory than it strictly needs when more is available, and players, exploring and added mods all use more. MineXHost suggests at least 5 GB: the observed figure rounded up to a whole GB plus 2 GB of headroom, and never less than the 4 GB minimum MineXHost estimates for Fabric packs. The smallest MineXHost plan that covers 5 GB is Wolf (6 GB, $30 a month).
Which Java version does The hard Winter need?
Java 17. The hard Winter is published for Minecraft 1.20.1 on Modrinth, and Minecraft 1.20.1 runs on Java 17. MineXEngine sets up the Java version for the server automatically.
How long does The hard Winter take to start?
On our 12 GB QA test servers, the median time from the start of a test, installing the pack included, until The hard Winter first reported running was 1 minute 20 seconds (5 passing tests). That is an observation on our test servers, not a promise for every setup.