BepInEx vs Satisfactory Mod Loader

BepInEx is a plugin and modding framework for Unity Mono and IL2CPP games, as well as .NET Framework games such as those built with XNA, FNA, and MonoGame. It provides configuration and logging, runtime method patching, and in-memory assembly patching. Runtime patching uses Harmony, including HarmonyX and MonoMod; in-memory patching uses Mono.Cecil with UnityDoorstop. The installation guide lists Windows, Linux, and macOS, though supported operating system versions and architectures depend on the build and game. Setup is manual: download the appropriate build and put its contents in the game’s root folder. Official binaries are available as stable and bleeding edge builds; the documentation recommends stable in most cases and notes that bleeding edge builds tend to be buggier. The project is open source under LGPL-2.1 and links to guides for users and developers. Compatibility has limits: stable releases are available only for Unity Mono, BepInEx 6 documentation remains a work in progress, and BepInEx 5 plugins do not yet work with the 6.0.0 pre-release.

Satisfactory Mod Loader is an unofficial tool for loading mods in Satisfactory. It provides a framework to help mods work with game systems and with one another, along with helper features for mod developers. Mods can be written in Unreal Blueprint or C++, and community libraries also support JSON files. The Satisfactory Mod Manager installs the loader, mods, and dependencies, and connects to the Satisfactory Mod Repository; the project recommends using the manager rather than installing SML manually. The repository says uploaded content is checked for malware before approval for download. SML is designed with multiplayer support in mind, and its developer says it makes no connections to external networks. The project also says uninstalling the loader will not cause loss of items or progression. No required dependencies are listed. The project includes source code, an ExampleMod demonstrating utilities, editor utilities, and the Unreal project used for mod development. Windows clients and servers are supported; Linux support is listed for servers, while Linux client support is marked N/A. Controller support is untested. The project displays a GPL-3.0 license and directs users to Discord for discussion.