LuckPerms – Part 1: What is a Permissions Plugin and Why Use It?

What is a "permissions" plugin?

Permissions plugins allow a Minecraft server owner to have much greater control over the commands and abilities players can access while playing on their servers, without compromising control over the server and making it vulnerable to malicious acts like "griefing".

In many ways, permissions plugins act like a traffic cop, stopping some and allowing others to proceed.

These plugins allow you to create groups and assign allowed commands to those groups. Players are then assigned to those groups and inherit the allowed abilities and commands. You can also assign abilities directly to individual players if you wish. Permissions plugins can also add other functionalities that enhance the player experience on a server.

These plugins replace or enhance the default system built into Minecraft, which is the "Operators" or "Ops" system (explained in more detail below). Some plugins have their own built-in permissions systems (like EssentialsX), but they are usually very limited and are often automatically disabled when they detect more elaborate permissions systems on the server (like LuckPerms).

These plugins often work in combination with other plugins, as the permissions setup will determine which commands and functions of those plugins players will be able to use. When a permissions plugin has been properly configured to work with other plugins, it can allow or block users from using commands, disable items that are too powerful or unbalance the server, or even prevent players from affecting areas of the world. A properly configured permissions plugin is often the backbone of an entire system of other plugins on a Minecraft server.

Why use LuckPerms?

LuckPerms is one of the most commonly used permissions plugins, but there are others.

Unfortunately, many of these other permissions plugins are no longer being actively developed and have been effectively abandoned. They don't have new features, bug fixes, or support. Some haven't had updated versions in years, and some of their developers have even openly suggested that users switch to actively developed permissions plugins, like LuckPerms.

Why not just use the "Operators" system?

The standard system built into Minecraft, called Operators (or commonly known as OP), allows giving users 4 levels of authority with different powers.

Many of the commands that a server owner might want players to be able to use require higher levels of Operator authority. Unfortunately, the Operator system follows an "all or nothing" approach. Once a player has been given an Operator level, they have access to ALL abilities and commands of that level, including commands that the server owner might not want available. For example, level 3 Operators can kick players from the server, and

level 4 Operators can stop the entire server if they wish. Giving uncontrolled Operator access, especially to strangers on a public server, can make it easier for malicious people to cause problems on your server and impact other players' enjoyment. It is recommended not to give Operator level 4 to anyone who is not trusted and is a senior player on your server. Many server owners reserve that level of Operator authority only for themselves.

By installing a permissions plugin like LuckPerms, you can allow the use of specific commands that would normally only be available to those with an "Ops" level, while blocking the use of others, something that simply isn't possible with Minecraft's current default Operator system.

Requirements

To use permissions plugins in Minecraft, or any other type of plugin, you first need to install a plugin manager on your server. There are versions of LuckPerms available for the Spigot and Sponge plugin managers. Spigot is used on servers that only have plugins and no mods. Sponge comes in two versions, one for plugin-only servers and one that works with forge and forge mods. More information about the versions of these plugin managers and on which Minecraft versions they will work is provided in part 2 of this series "LuckPerms - Part 2: Installation, Configuration, and Setup".

NOTE: Depending on the plugin manager installed, your server may need more RAM to handle the additional processes required, and this could increase the cost of operating the server.

Understand the immediate effects of adding LuckPerms to your server

When you add a permissions plugin to your server, it immediately locks down and shuts off all commands and abilities on your server. The default response to any request to use a command when a permissions plugin is installed is "NO!" The plugin will only say "YES!" and allow access when it verifies a list of users, groups, and allowed commands.

Unfortunately, if you haven't created that list yet, there's nothing to verify. It will say "NO!" to every request to use a command, by any user (including the server owner). Keep this in mind and that, until the information for the permissions plugin has been created, all commands and abilities will be unavailable to players on the server. If the information it requires is deleted later (such as deleting the database or text file), it will revert to blocking all access to commands and abilities (once again, the default response is "NO!" to everything).

Outline the groups and commands

Another thing to consider before installing a permissions plugin like LuckPerms is to establish rough guidelines about what the groups will be and what commands will be available to each group.

What commands do you want them to be able to use?

What don't you want them to be able to use?

What areas are off-limits?

What items will be disabled or "banned"?

Who will have access to server maintenance commands?

Who will have unrestricted access to everything?

Next, make a list of your players and decide which groups they will be classified into

when you set up the plugin.