ServerRoles
ServerRoles is a free role and permission management plugin for Paper or Purpur servers.
What ServerRoles is
ServerRoles is a free role and permission management plugin for Paper or Purpur servers. Administrators use `/role` commands to configure roles with display names, prefixes, hex colors, priorities, permissions, inheritance, and operator status. Temporary roles accept day, hour, and minute durations, then return players to the default role when they expire. Expiry checks run when a player joins and every five minutes, so a role can remain active for up to five minutes past its duration. Permissions can be inherited or negated with a leading hyphen, and role prefixes and colors can be added to chat through a configurable feature. YAML is the default storage option, with SQLite and MySQL also supported. Optional PlaceholderAPI integration provides nine placeholders, and other plugins can use the developer API to query or change roles. The documented requirements are Paper or Purpur 1.21.11 and Java 21 or later. ServerRoles is designed to be the sole permission provider; its documentation warns that another permission plugin may conflict.
Good
- Supports YAML, SQLite, and MySQL storage
- Temporary roles revert to the default role
- Includes a developer API for role changes
- Player-facing messages can be translated
Watch out
- Requires Paper or Purpur 1.21.11
- Requires Java 21 or later
- Another permission plugin may conflict
- Expired roles can persist for up to five minutes
Who it suits
It suits administrators of Paper or Purpur servers who need configurable roles, timed assignments, and permission inheritance. It may also fit developers connecting role data to other plugins through its API.
Verdict
ServerRoles offers role configuration, timed assignments, multiple storage backends, and plugin integration for supported servers. Its sole-permission-provider design is an important consideration for servers already using another permissions plugin.
The facts
Each one read from ServerRoles's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Access control
- All /role administration commands require the serverroles.admin permission, which defaults to operators.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Chat formatting
- The plugin can automatically add a player's role prefix and color to chat, and this feature can be toggled in configuration.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Developer API
- Other plugins can query and change player roles and permissions through the ServerRoles API, and listen for a cancellable role-change event that fires for online players.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Expiry timing
- Expired temporary roles are checked every five minutes and when a player joins, so scheduled expiry may be delayed by up to five minutes.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Installation
- Installation consists of placing the downloaded ServerRoles JAR in the server's plugins folder and starting or restarting the server.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Integrations
- Optional PlaceholderAPI integration provides nine placeholders, usable by compatible plugins such as TAB, DeluxeChat, Essentials, HolographicDisplays, DecentHolograms, and scoreboard plugins.checked 3 Oct 2026
- License
- The repository identifies the project as GPL-3.0 licensed.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Localization
- Player-facing messages are translatable, and the repository lists English (en_US) and Portuguese (pt_PT) as bundled options.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Notable limitation
- The project says ServerRoles is designed to be the sole permission provider, and warns that another permission plugin such as LuckPerms may conflict.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Permission provider limitation
- The documentation says ServerRoles is designed to be the sole permission provider and warns that another permission plugin such as LuckPerms may conflict.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Permission rules
- Roles support permission nodes, inherited permissions, and permission negation using a leading hyphen.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- ServerRoles is a lightweight role-based permission and prefix management plugin for Paper and Purpur 1.21.11 servers running Java 21 or later.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Requirements
- The documented requirements are Paper or Purpur 1.21.11 and Java 21 or later.checked 2 Oct 2026
- Role management
- It lets admins create and edit roles with display names, hex-colored prefixes, priorities, permission inheritance, and optional operator status.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Storage
- Role data can be stored in YAML, SQLite, or MySQL, with YAML as the default backend.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Temporary assignments
- Temporary roles accept combined day, hour, and minute durations, then revert players to the default role when they expire.checked 3 Oct 2026
- Temporary roles
- Roles can be assigned for a set duration and revert to the default role when they expire.checked 2 Oct 2026
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