Version Numbering Converter

VNC (Version Numbering Converter)

Version Numbering Converter (VNC) is a Java 8 library for working with Minecraft versions across both numbering families:

• Classic Java-style versions such as 1.20.6 and 1.21.11
• Year-based drop versions such as 24.1, 25.4, and 26.1.1

The project is split so the common API can be used from any Java project without Bukkit on the classpath. Platform-specific runtime helpers live in separate modules and are selected through the bootstrap provider.

Modules

| Module | Artifact | Purpose |
| — | — | — |
| bootstrap | me.croabeast.vnc:VNC | Final aggregate jar with VNC, core, and the provider implementations. |
| core | me.croabeast.vnc:core | Common parser, provider contract, mapping tables, conversion schemes, protocol lookup, and generic runtime snapshots. |
| bukkit | me.croabeast.vnc:bukkit | Internal Bukkit/Paper provider and ViaVersion-backed player protocol lookup. |
| mod:fabric | me.croabeast.vnc:fabric | Fabric loader runtime version bridge. |
| mod:quilt | me.croabeast.vnc:quilt | Quilt loader runtime version bridge. |
| mod:forge | me.croabeast.vnc:forge | Forge runtime version bridge. |
| mod:neoforge | me.croabeast.vnc:neoforge | NeoForge runtime version bridge compiled as Java 8 bytecode. |
| mod:sponge | me.croabeast.vnc:sponge | Sponge runtime version bridge. |
| mod:liteloader | me.croabeast.vnc:liteloader | Legacy LiteLoader bridge. |
| proxy:bungee | me.croabeast.vnc:bungee | BungeeCord proxy version bridge. |
| proxy:velocity | me.croabeast.vnc:velocity | Velocity proxy bridge for a supplied backend/support Minecraft version. |

Core API

MinecraftVersion classic = MinecraftVersion.parse("1.21.11");
MinecraftVersion drop = MinecraftVersion.parse("26.1");

classic.getVersion();         // "1.21.11"
classic.getProtocol();        // 774
classic.supportsHex();        // true

drop.getVersion();            // "26.1"
drop.getProtocol();           // 775

String dropName = VersionScheme.MOJANG.toDrop("1.20.3");       // "23.2"
String classicName = VersionScheme.MOJANG.toClassic("25.2.2"); // "1.21.8"

boolean modernRegistry = Versioning.isAtLeast(MinecraftVersion.parse("1.20.6"), "1.20.5");
int comparison = VNC.compare(MinecraftVersion.parse("26.1"), "1.21.11");

Platform Runtime API

Use bootstrap when you want VNC to detect the runtime provider:

VNCProvider provider = VNC.getProvider();

String platform = provider.getPlatform();
String classic = provider.getClassicVersion();
String drop = provider.getDropVersion();
int protocol = provider.getProtocol();
boolean modernRegistry = provider.isAtLeast("1.20.5");

VNC still exposes convenience methods for the detected provider:

MinecraftVersion server = VNC.SERVER_MINECRAFT_VERSION;
double legacy = VNC.SERVER_VERSION;
boolean modernRegistry = VNC.isAtLeast("1.20.5");

When the runtime may not have a supported provider, use the nullable accessor:

VNCProvider provider = VNC.getProviderOrNull();
if (provider != null && provider.isAtLeast("1.20.5")) {
    // use modern behavior
}

Platform modules contain package-private provider implementations. Consumers should depend on bootstrap for runtime detection instead of calling loader-specific classes directly.

Velocity does not expose one global backend Minecraft version. Its provider is still detected from the Velocity API, but version methods need a minecraft.version system property.

Requirements

• Java 8 bytecode for every module
• Gradle 9.4.1 wrapper for local builds
• Optional platform APIs are compileOnly; platform modules use direct APIs and guard runtime detection with Throwable/linkage protection
• The NeoForge module targets NeoForge 21.1.230, compiles Maven-style with source/target 1.8, and only resolves at runtime when Java 21+ and NeoForge are present

Build

./gradlew clean build

The final consumer jar is generated by the bootstrap module:

bootstrap/build/libs/VNC-${version}.jar

Maven repository publishing is handled only by .github/workflows/publish.yml.