What is a Permission Node?
Last modified on Feb 27, 2023 in Control Panel
Overview
Managing your Minecraft server typically involves lots of Spigot plugins and configuration, leading to some wonderful gameplay mechanics. However, some owners may instead use Forge or Fabric mods to implement additional mechanisms. Controlling these features for players to enjoy requires a special permission node system. This allows you and others to use in-game commands or abilities from plugins, but can also prevent them. Popular servers have this to protect against exploits, abusing power, and to set up ranks that have unique commands. It can be a bit confusing at first since it’s not common knowledge to permit a player to use certain abilities. With this in mind, we’ve created this Apex Hosting tutorial to review permission nodes and how to use them in your Minecraft server.
Permissions & Commands
Regardless if you use mods or plugins to customize your Minecraft server, they’ll likely have permissions for their commands or abilities. As previously mentioned, these features are entirely controlled in a management system to permit players or ranks to use them. For example, permission nodes decide if you’re able to run the /sethome command from the EssentialsX plugin. A managing system like LuckPerms can easily allow you to set this up either in-game or through their unique web editor. Although, you can bypass this by becoming a server operator, granting you full access to everything. It’s crucial for any server owner looking to build a playerbase to begin creating ranks or at least configuring basic permissions for users. Whether you’re creating a private or public Minecraft server, these can come in handy to make an ideal gameplay experience.
Locating Permission Nodes
Following our command example above, its permission node is essentials.sethome and found by searching through EssentialsX’s wiki.
As a general rule, mods and plugins include this information on their official page. However, sometimes it’s stored in additional resources on their websites or inside config files. Hopefully your addons make it easy for you to locate permission nodes, but may involve some extra research. In rare cases, there won’t be any to use for commands since they’re designed for default or operator players.
Using Permissions
Setting up permissions on your Minecraft server can involve many different methods, with the manager plugin’s commands being common. In our example, we used LuckPerms to do this in-game for the “default” player group with the EssentialsX’s sethome ability. Other times you’ll be required to do this inside a configuration file or external editor. For instance, the GroupManager plugin has settings for each rank that includes a permission node list to customize. However, we strongly encourage you to use LuckPerms for any setup in both modded and plugin-based servers.
Popular Addons
Review the lists below to gain a better understanding of what permission manager plugins or mods to use in your server.
LuckPerms – Previously noted throughout the above sections, the LuckPerms addon is highly suggested for any type of Minecraft server. Whether you’re hosting on Forge or Paper, this allows you to easily make ranks and player-specific permissions to grant command access. It’s considered a universal addon for most servers that even has a web editor to keep track of everything in a user-friendly way.
PermissionsEX – A precursor to LuckPerms, this is an older way to implement permission nodes in your plugin-based server. There aren’t any modded versions for this, but it’s an available option for 1.7 to 1.19 game versions. Most of the work is done through commands, which follows a similar format from other plugins.
MyPermissions – This is an alternative choice to permission plugin managers, which can be set up via config files or in-game commands. Unfortunately, there is only support for 1.11 to 1.19 servers, making this not as flexible compared to other options. Regardless of this, sometimes choosing different plugins for this process is better suited for your server.
Player Roles – As for mods, this is only for Fabric servers ranging from 1.16 to 1.19 versions. It’s a bit complicated, but is an all-in-one modification that implements permissions, commands, and more customizable features. Sadly, most of everything is controlled through configuration files rather than in-game actions. Luckily, their information is highly detailed for better understanding the settings to tweak.
ForgeEssentials – If you’re hosting Forge servers, then this modification will be an excellent choice to try out. This adds brand new gameplay features, such as an economy, kits, backups, and more. Of course, there’a also a ranking system to manage permissions for their commands. The only downside is that it’s only for 1.4.7 to 1.12.2 versions of Minecraft, making it less available for most servers using new versions.
FTB Utilities – Similarly to the mod above, this one adds tons of gameplay mechanics and a complete group system to manage everything. It’s for Forge 1.7.10 to 1.12.2, so it’s not too flexible for newer instances of Minecraft. Regardless of this, everything is controlled through commands and configuration files. This gives you multiple options to customize the mod.
Common Issues
Unable to Find Permissions
If you’re having difficulty finding your plugin or mod permissions, then double-check they have them. This can be done by searching through their resource pages like a wiki or their official description. In some cases, these addons won’t include nodes to use and can only be for default or operator players. Other times, the developers won’t include them anywhere besides the config files, meaning you’ll have to dig around to locate them.
Permission Nodes Don’t Work
Regardless if you’re using mods or plugins, using permission requires you to enter them correctly. This means every node must be spelled without any mistakes, especially if there are special characters like periods. However, it could be that you haven’t executed the in-game command properly to add them or saved its configuration file to apply them. Ensure you Save the file changes and Restart the server to do this process. Alternatively, double-check the command usage for the addon to confirm you’re using it correctly.
Useful Links
Installing Plugins to Your Minecraft Server
How to Install and Use LuckPerms
Using EssentialsX on Minecraft Servers
How to Become a Minecraft Server Operator
