Making a Minecraft mod

Getting started - picking a framework

You have two choices you need to make when making content for Minecraft.

Firstly - is this a Data Pack or a mod?

Data packs are like "vanilla mods".

In general, a data pack can add new recipes, enchantments, advancements, etc.

Effectively, anything you can do with chat commands in Minecraft natively can be done in a data pack.

Data packs do not require a modded client to play, and can be installed on servers.

Data packs are not able to add new assets or mechanics to the game.

If you are making a data pack, then your decision stops here.

You have three choices here, Forge, NeoForge and Fabric.

Forge is the oldest and largest mod framework.

If you specifically want your mod to interop with a bunch of existing mods for older versions of Minecraft, go with Forge.

NeoForge is a newer fork of Forge spawned from internal conflicts.

It is gaining traction among Forge users, but does not have the support for older versions like Forge.

If you want your mod to interop with a bunch of existing mods for newer versions of Minecraft, probably go with NeoForge.

Fabric is a newer and more lightweight library, and is completely different from Forge.

For any other situation, a standalone mod for a more recent version of Minecraft - go with Fabric.

I chose to go with Fabric.