A Quick Guide to Minecraft Ranks and Permissions

Ever wondered how Minecraft servers manage who can fly, who can use special commands, and who has a colorful name in chat? The answer is a permissions plugin, and for a long time, the most popular choice was PermissionsEx (PEX). This guide will cover the basics you need to get started.

What is PermissionsEx?

PermissionsEx is a powerful plugin that allows server administrators to control exactly what players can and cannot do. By defining permissions, you can create a structured hierarchy of ranks and abilities, from a default player to the server owner.

Core Concepts

• Permissions: These are specific "nodes" that grant access to a command or feature. For example, the permission essentials.fly allows a player to use the /fly command.
• Groups: Groups (or ranks) are collections of permissions. Instead of giving every permission to every player one by one, you create a group like "VIP," add permissions to it, and then assign players to that group.
• Prefixes: A prefix is the text that appears before a player's name in chat, like [Admin] or &a[VIP]. The &a is a color code.

Quick Setup: Creating a VIP Rank

Here’s a fast and simple example of how to create a default group and a VIP group with a special perk. Type these commands in your server console.

1. Create the Groups
   First, we need to create the "default" group for regular players and a "vip" group.
   pex group default create
pex group vip create
2. Add Permissions
   Let's give all players the ability to set one home, but give VIPs the ability to fly.
   pex group default add essentials.sethome
pex group vip add essentials.fly
3. Set a Prefix for VIPs
   Let's give the VIP group a nice green prefix. &a is the color code for light green.
   pex group vip prefix "&a[VIP] "
4. Assign a Player to the Group
   Now, let's make the player "Steve" a VIP.
   pex user Steve group set vip

That's it! Now Steve will have the [VIP] prefix and will be able to fly on the server.

Important: Is PermissionsEx Still a Good Choice?

While PermissionsEx was once the standard, it is now considered outdated and is no longer maintained. On modern versions of Minecraft, it can cause performance issues (lag), bugs, and may not be compatible with newer plugins.

The modern, community-recommended alternative is LuckPerms.

Why You Should Use LuckPerms Instead:

• Actively Developed: It receives constant updates for new Minecraft versions.
• Better Performance: It is significantly faster and more efficient.
• Web Editor: It features an easy-to-use web editor to manage permissions in your browser.
• Easy Migration: It has a built-in command to automatically import all your data from PermissionsEx.

Conclusion

Understanding PermissionsEx is useful for managing older servers, but for any new project, it is highly recommended to start with LuckPerms. It provides all the same functionality in a more stable, powerful, and user-friendly package.