NoPlugins Minecraft Plugin

Last modified on Jun 4, 2024 in Plugins

By Nathan Young

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Overview

Minecraft server management is what every owner has to do, as this allows for plugins, enhancing the gameplay, and other essential controls. However, problems may arise if players try to use exploits, find hidden cheat commands, or more possible issues. This is unfortunately common on many servers, but there are solutions to quickly remedy the situation. One of these is NoPlugins, a Spigot and Bukkit plugin that prevents certain commands from being used in-game. Using this on your server will also bring other features with it, such as custom chat messages when a player runs a blocked command. There are more interesting and helpful options to try out too, making this a wonderful tool for many owners. Installing and editing the plugin is easily done with our panel, simplifying the entire process. With this said, let’s learn how to install and use NoPlugins on your Minecraft server in this Apex Hosting tutorial.
 

Installation

1. Navigate to NoPlugins on Spigot and press the Download button.
   
2. Save this file somewhere easily accessible on your computer.
3. Head towards your Apex server panel, then click FTP File Access near the top left.
   

   Important: Ensure you’re using the correct Server Profile for this installation.

4. Login with your password and enter the plugins directory.
   
5. At the top left corner, press Upload and drag the file into the respective area.
6. Wait for this to reach 100%, then return to the main panel.
   
7. Restart the server and join to confirm the plugin was successfully installed.

Getting Started

Once NoPlugins is installed, you and others may notice that some commands aren’t working or return custom messages. For instance, using /plugins or /pl will show a customized plugin list that hides everything you’ve installed. This is extremely helpful to prevent players from exploiting and abusing features in the server. Those who want to alter these messages or other aspects to the plugin can do so in the configuration file. Editing this will allow you to fully control what players see or use in-game. A popular change is to add other commands that default users shouldn’t view. Another one is using NoPlugins’s special GUI menu to view all installed plugins, making other methods useless and inaccessible. Due to almost everything being inside of the configuration, it’ll be a main focus for this plugin.
 

Configuration

As previously mentioned above, the configuration file is how owners use the plugin. There aren’t abilities or in-game commands to set this up, making it have a different process to edit. Follow the instructions below to learn how to access and change NoPlugins’s config file.

1. Head towards your FTP File Access from the main server panel.
2. Login with your password, then enter in the plugins directory.
3. Afterward, locate and navigate to the NoPlugins folder.
   
4. Inside of this area, click Edit the far right of the config.yml file.
   
5. Make any necessary changes, then press Save at the top.
   
6. Restart the server from the main panel to apply the edits, then join to confirm.

Important Settings

Since there is an overwhelming amount of settings to edit, we’ll briefly cover the best ones. Some of these are the plugin’s core features, making them important for you to customize. Others are quality of life options that’ll help you tailor NoPlugins to your liking. However, many of these settings work together, meaning editing one may alter another depending on what you change. Learn more about them in the table down below.
 

Config Examples

Some of these settings can be complex or a bit tricky to learn at first, so we’ll go through examples.
 
Removed Commands
This section of the configuration is where individual commands can be blocked. However, if the server uses 1.13 and below, then the auto TAB completer will block the list from appearing in-game. This is the main area for you to start adding commands you want removed or disabled, but still accessible through the Console, among operator privileges. By default, there’s a list made for you to keep, add, or delete. Keep in mind that this isn’t limited to anything, meaning all commands can be blocked.

removed-commands:
  - plugins
  - ban
  - op

Following removed-commands, if a player tries to use them in-game a message will appear. This is configurable later in the file, which comes in handy if you have tons of disabled commands. Color codes can be used for them too, giving you more control over its appearance in-chat. Make note of the format for each message, as breaking it by a syntax error or other mistake can ruin this feature.

messages:
  plugins: 'Plugins (3): &aNot&f, &aYour&f, &aBusiness'
  ban: 'You do not have admin privileges!'
  op: 'Cheating is not allowed.'

Instead of blocking individual commands, you can disable entire plugins for players. However, certain abilities may still work if they have proper permissions. Otherwise, it’ll simply prevent them from using commands for that plugin. This is important for large servers that have many different plugins installed.

block-plugin-commands: true
blocked-command-message: "Unknown command. Type \"/help\" for help."
plugins:
  - LuckPerms
  - WorldGuard

Commands & Permissions

Just like other plugins, NoPlugins has some commands and permissions to use. These control how players interact with its features, such as bypassing the command prevention. This requires a plugin, like LuckPerms, or another permission manager type. Otherwise, having operator privileges will grant you access to everything. As for the amount of commands and permissions, there aren’t too many, but enough to review down below.
 

Plugin Menu

Players with the pluginmenu permission can open its GUI, revealing all the server’s plugins. In other words, this can be used as an alternative method for reviewing the plugin list. An added benefit from using this feature is that extra information is displayed, such as the author, dependencies, and more. It’s a highly detailed and useful menu to gauge what plugins you have installed.

Common Issues

Plugin Isn’t Loading
If after installing the plugin and it fails, then the wrong version could have been used. For example, uploading 1.16 while the server is on 1.19 may result in it not working. Otherwise, you could have installed NoPlugins on the wrong server profile. Make sure you’ve selected the correct one for this process, as having another one can be problematic. Alternatively, you may not be an operator or have permissions to use the plugin. Once you get everything confirmed, the situation will likely be resolved.
 
Config Doesn’t Work
In some cases, changing the configuration file doesn’t work and could break the entire plugin. This happens when there’s on-going formatting issues, incorrect values, or similar problems. Make sure to follow the exact spelling, wording, and character usage to prevent errors. Additionally, ensure you applied or saved the changes by clicking Save on the file editor and Restarting the server from the main panel. Once you have valid settings and they’re applied, it’ll begin working in-game without issues.
 

Useful Links

NoPlugins on Spigot
How to Add Plugins to a Minecraft Server
Becoming a Server Operator in Minecraft