Want a high framerate and good shaders at the same time? On Fabric the stack is short: Sodium for the frames, Iris for the shaders, Lithium for game logic. All free and built to run together. One caveat for Opal users: Lithium is not compatible with Opal, so build around Sodium and Iris instead.
- Sodium gives the framerate, Iris gives the shaders, and they are built to run together.
- Lithium helps game logic but is not compatible with Opal.
- Install order: Fabric loader, Fabric API, then the rest.
- Opal is the feature layer; Sodium gives the headroom to run it.
The stack
Performance and shaders
FreeSodium and Iris are the core. Fabric API is the base. Lithium is great on non-Opal setups only.
- Sodium (rendering FPS, works with Opal)
- Iris (shaders, pairs with Sodium)
- Fabric API (required base)
- Lithium (game logic, not compatible with Opal)
Sodium: the framerate
Sodium rewrites Minecraft's rendering to be faster and smoother, and the gap is widest on weaker GPUs. It is the base every modern performance setup starts from, and it runs fine alongside Opal. Install it, then layer shaders on top with Iris.
Iris: the shaders
Iris runs shader packs on Fabric and is engineered to work with Sodium, so the shaders do not cost you the framerate you just gained. If you have only ever run shaders the old way, this is the modern route that plays nicely with the rest of the ecosystem.
Lithium: the game-logic one (not for Opal)
Lithium speeds up game logic, mob AI, physics, and ticking, with zero visual change. It is a strong add on a vanilla-plus setup. It is not compatible with Opal, though, so if you run Opal, leave it out and rely on Sodium.
At a glance
| Mod | Job | Works with Opal |
|---|---|---|
| Sodium | Rendering FPS | Yes |
| Iris | Shaders | Yes |
| Fabric API | Required base | Yes |
| Lithium | Game-logic performance | No |
Install order
Fabric loader, then Fabric API, then the rest. Most mods refuse to load without the API, so it goes in before Sodium, Iris, or Opal.
Where Opal fits
Opal is a Fabric mod for Minecraft 1.21.10, so it lives in the same mods folder as Sodium and Iris. You get a shader-lit game plus a full client: combat, movement, visual, and utility modules, a glass UI, and a scripting engine. Opal is a large mod, so keep Sodium in for headroom and leave Lithium out, and the whole setup holds together.
FAQ
Yes. Iris is built to run alongside Sodium, so you get shaders and the FPS boost at once.
No. Run Sodium for your framerate and leave Lithium out when Opal is installed.
For most of these, yes. Install it alongside them.
