datapacks

Datapacks are a feature of Minecraft Java Edition that allows players to modify game behavior and content without installing mods. Introduced in the 1.13 update, datapacks work by providing data-driven files that the game loads when a world starts and that can affect mechanics such as crafting, loot tables, advancements, entity behavior, and tag definitions. They are designed to be lightweight, portable, and easy to share, making them popular for custom maps, gameplay tweaks, and small-scale enhancements.

A datapack is a folder or a zipped archive containing a pack.mcmeta file and a data directory. The data directory holds data organized by namespace, typically under data/<namespace>/ with subfolders for functions, tags, loot_tables, recipes, advancements, and structures. The functions subfolder contains .mcfunction script files that execute commands; tags define groups for blocks, items, or entities; and the other folders store corresponding JSON data that the game uses to alter behavior. Datapacks do not add new code in the sense of a mod; they instead provide data that the game interprets.

Datapacks load automatically when a world is loaded, or can be reloaded with the /reload command. They can be enabled or disabled per namespace with /datapack enable and /datapack disable. They can coexist with resource packs, which supply textures and models, but datapacks themselves do not add new textures. While powerful for customizing gameplay, datapacks are limited to data-driven changes and cannot introduce new blocks or items beyond what the base game already provides, though they can modify crafting and loot to produce existing items.