The archived Starlight Fabric line is the clearest documented release path for the project. Public listings show releases across 1.17.x, 1.18.x, 1.19.x and 1.20.x, with the original Fabric line reaching Minecraft 1.20.4.
Step 1: identify the exact Minecraft patch
Write down the full game version before choosing anything. Starlight 1.1.3 builds were split across 1.20.2, 1.20.3 and 1.20.4 rather than being a single universal file.
Step 2: verify Fabric Loader and the rest of the pack
A stable installation should already launch under Fabric before Starlight is introduced. If the base profile fails, adding a low-level lighting rewrite only makes the failure harder to isolate.
Remove direct lighting conflicts
Do not run Phosphor alongside Starlight. For other performance mods, check whether they touch lighting, chunk serialization or chunk-generation internals.
Step 3: install the actual JAR, not source code
A runnable Fabric release is a JAR built for the target version. The ZIP supplied on this website is the archived source branch and is meant for source inspection, not direct installation.
Step 4: validate loading and world behavior
Start with a copied world. Confirm there is no Fabric dependency or mixin error, then test chunk transitions and rapid light-source changes. Keep the rest of the mod list unchanged during the first test.
Why the project can run client-side or server-side
The original documentation states that Starlight can be installed on the client, the dedicated server, or both for supported versions. That flexibility does not remove the need to keep each side’s own loader and mod compatibility correct.
Related guides
Compare the loader differences in the Forge compatibility guide and use the performance guide before judging results from FPS alone.