EssentialsX: core server commands — modules, permissions and setup

In short: download the main EssentialsX.jar and the modules you need in the same version, put them in plugins/ together with Vault and LuckPerms, and restart the server. Out of the box only operators have EssentialsX permissions, so regular players need them granted: essentials.home, essentials.tpa, essentials.warp and so on. Settings live in plugins/Essentials/config.yml.

What EssentialsX gives you#

The developers describe it as over 160 commands for servers of every size: teleportation, moderation tools and gameplay conveniences. It's open source and free, funded by donations. The parts people use most:

Modules: what to install#

The main jar is required: no module works without it. The rest depends on what you need. On Modrinth each module is its own project, marked as requiring the main one.

Installation#

1. 1

   Check the server software and version

   EssentialsX runs on CraftBukkit, Spigot and Paper; the developers recommend Paper. As of October 2026, the 2.22.0 release on Modrinth is marked for versions up to 26.1.2, while the README on the development branch already lists 1.21.11, 26.1.2, 26.2 and 26.3 — for the newest versions check the downloads page.

2. 2

   Download the main jar and modules

   Releases are on Modrinth, SpigotMC and GitHub releases; development builds are on the site's downloads page. Unzip the SpigotMC archive first. Take every module in the same version as the main jar.

3. 3

   Install Vault and LuckPerms

   Without Vault, prefixes, suffixes and everything group-related won't work. For permissions the developers recommend LuckPerms — see LuckPerms in 10 minutes.

4. 4

   Restart the server

   A restart, not /reload. On first start EssentialsX creates config.yml, kits.yml and the rest in plugins/Essentials/. General rules are in how to install a plugin.

Permissions with LuckPerms#

In EssentialsX's plugin.yml, essentials.* is granted to operators, and most permissions have no default set — which under Bukkit's rules also means "operators only". So right after installing, regular players can't even use /home. Give the default group a basic set, and extended permissions to paid or trusted groups:

lp group default permission set essentials.home true
lp group default permission set essentials.sethome true
lp group default permission set essentials.delhome true
lp group default permission set essentials.tpa true
lp group default permission set essentials.tpaccept true
lp group default permission set essentials.tpdeny true
lp group default permission set essentials.back true
lp group default permission set essentials.warp true
lp group default permission set essentials.spawn true
lp group default permission set essentials.balance true
lp group default permission set essentials.pay true
lp group default permission set essentials.msg true
lp group default permission set essentials.kit true
lp group default permission set essentials.kits.tools true

lp group vip permission set essentials.sethome.multiple true
lp group vip permission set essentials.sethome.multiple.vip true

• Several homes. The number of homes is set by sethome-multiple in config.yml (default ranks: default: 3, vip: 5, staff: 10). A player needs both permissions: essentials.sethome.multiple and essentials.sethome.multiple.<rank>. No limit: essentials.sethome.multiple.unlimited.
• Kits. The /kit permission unlocks the command, and each kit is a separate permission, essentials.kits.<kit>.
• Warps. By default essentials.warp opens every warp. To grant them one by one, set per-warp-permission: true.
• Back to the death point. /back after death only works with essentials.back.ondeath — nobody has it by default.

What to set in config.yml#

Chat format is set by chat.format, per-group formats by chat.group-formats (Chat module). The name, message, prefix and group go in as placeholders in curly braces; the list is right in the config.yml comments. Prefixes come from your permissions plugin through Vault — for example, from meta setprefix in LuckPerms.

Colours. Colour codes in chat, nicknames and private messages are unlocked by essentials.chat.color, essentials.nick.color and essentials.msg.color. Since 2.18.0, hex colours are supported as &#RRGGBB — they're controlled by permissions ending in .rgb, such as essentials.chat.rgb and essentials.nick.rgb. A gradient nickname is easy to build with the gradient text generator.

EssentialsX and the anticheat#

Some EssentialsX commands change how a player moves and survives: /fly, /speed, /god, /tp. Give them to staff only, through LuckPerms: a player with /fly flies legitimately, and handing such permissions to everyone cancels your own server rules. And teleport-delay closes the teleport escape from a fight, which no anticheat will flag — it's a server mechanic, not a cheat.

EssentialsX has /ban, /tempban and /mute, but they won't tell you who is cheating. That's the anticheat's job. DGuard — the best anticheat for a modern Minecraft server — watches combat, movement, packets, inventory, building and the world at once, gathers evidence without rushing to a verdict, and you set how strict punishments are. Turn on punishment-log in DGuard's config and every ban lands in the panel's log with a report, which moderators on your team can see without OP or console access. DGuard runs on Paper and Leaf 1.21–26.3 and is free up to 30 players online.

FAQ#