Hello ! In this hands-on guide, we’ll explore EssentialsX, an indispensable “all-in-one” plugin for your Minecraft server.

EssentialsX is the modern continuation of the famous Essentials plugin, maintained for recent Minecraft versions. It bundles 130-plus commands and features that are useful for both server administration and gameplay. The plugin is multifaceted, yet easy to use, highly customisable, and translated into multiple languages. In short, EssentialsX offers you almost everything you need: moderation tools, teleport systems (spawn, homes, warps, etc.), an economy manager, item kits, utility commands, enhanced chat, and much more.

EssentialsX is compatible with every Minecraft version from 1.8 up to the latest releases (it currently supports Minecraft 1.20/1.21). Most commands remain identical regardless of the game version. However, a few features have evolved over time, for instance, since Minecraft 1.13, numeric item IDs are no longer used and have been replaced by item names (which notably affects configuring certain commands such as item restrictions in EssentialsX AntiBuild). In practice, this means one EssentialsX guide is still applicable to older versions (down to 1.8) with only minor differences, which we will point out whenever necessary.

Installation of the EssentialsX Plugin

First of all, make sure your server is running a version compatible with Bukkit/Spigot/Paper plugins (vanilla servers do not support plugins). On MineStrator, we recommend using PaperMC for better performance. Installing EssentialsX is then the same as for any other plugin. You can find a tutorial about this here : https://minestrator.com/en/blog/article/add-plugins-minecraft-server

After installation, EssentialsX runs with its default configuration. For most servers, the defaults work perfectly. Of course, you can customize the setup later to suit your needs (all options are in config.yml inside the Essentials folder, with explanatory comments). For example, the plugin is set to English by default, but you can enable French (or any other supported locale) for all its messages. To do so for the example, edit config.yml, set

then save and run

Once reloaded, all plugin messages will appear in French.

💡 Tip: Always restart or run /essentials reload after changing the configuration to apply your edits. Also bear in mind that improper YAML formatting (bad indentation, accidental removal of a special character like #, etc.) can prevent the plugin from working. Make backups and use a suitable editor like Notepad++ or VisualStudioCode.

Main Features of EssentialsX

EssentialsX adds a wealth of features to enrich your server. Here are the primary categories:

Moderation Tools : EssentialsX provides commands to effectively moderate your server. For example, you can:

Expel a troublemaker with /kick

Ban them permanently or temporarily with /ban and /tempban

Mute them using /mute

Jail them for a set duration with /jail to sanction without banning

There is also a grace command /unjail (or /togglejail) to release a jailed player. These sanction tools complement Minecraft’s built-in commands by offering more flexibility (native Minecraft does not include temporary bans, for instance).

Teleportation and Movement : EssentialsX introduces an advanced teleportation system for your players. You can:

Set fixed warp points with /setwarp <name> and then use /warp <name> to teleport there

Define the server spawn point with /setspawn, where players will appear

Allow players to set their own home with /sethome and return there via /home

Create multiple named homes per player (depending on permissions)

In addition, EssentialsX handles teleport requests between players:

/tpa <player> sends a teleport request, which the target can accept with /tpaccept or deny with /tpdeny

An administrator can teleport one player to another with /tp <playerA> <playerB> or bring everyone to them with /tpall

Finally, /back lets a player return to their last teleport location or death point, very handy to recover lost items after dying.

Item Kits and Inventory Management : EssentialsX lets you define kits, i.e. bundles of items that players can claim on demand. For example, create a “beginner” kit containing basic supplies. In-game, use /createkit <name> while your inventory holds the desired items to define a new kit, which players can then access with /kit <name>. You can configure cooldowns in the config.yml to prevent kit abuse. By default, EssentialsX includes a “default” or “starter” kit that you can customize.

Complementary commands include:

/invsee <player> to remotely view (and even modify) a player’s inventory, useful for removing prohibited items

/enderchest <player> to open a player’s Ender Chest

/clear <player> to clear their inventory entirely

These tools make it simple to manage player inventories, distribute starter gear, and enforce server rules.

Integrated Economy : EssentialsX includes a built-in virtual economy system. Each player has a balance you can check with /balance (alias /money). Players can send money to one another with /pay <player> <amount>. As an administrator, you can adjust a player’s balance using /eco give <player> <amount>, /eco take <player> <amount> or /eco set <player> <amount>.

You can also assign command costs in the config (for example, charging $100 for each teleport), and create in-game shops via signs. A sign labeled [Buy] lets players purchase items, while [Sell] lets them sell back items for money. To enable these, make sure the corresponding sign types are listed under enabledSigns in your config.yml.

Thanks to EssentialsX’s economy, you can run a survival or FFA server with virtual currency without installing a separate economy plugin. If you do need interoperability with other shop plugins, EssentialsX is compatible with Vault, which acts as a universal economy bridge.

Communication and Social Commands : EssentialsX enhances chat and player interaction:

Private messages: /msg <player> <message> (alias /tell)

Quick reply: /reply (alias /r) to respond to the last private message

Spy on PMs: /socialspy lets admins monitor private conversations for moderation

Nickname: /nick <newName> changes a player’s display name (game login name remains unchanged)

Global announcement: /broadcast <message> sends a specially formatted chat message to all players

These commands give your community more ways to communicate, both publicly and privately, while allowing staff to keep discussions civil.

Other Utility Features : Besides economy and chat, EssentialsX packs numerous handy commands:

Flight: /fly to toggle free flight for yourself or another player

Speed: /speed <level> adjusts walk or fly speed (e.g. /speed 2 doubles flying speed)

Heal & feed: /heal <player> restores health to full, /feed <player> refills hunger bar

God mode: /god grants invincibility to fall, fire, mobs, etc.

Time & weather: /time <day|night> and /weather <clear|rain> provide simple aliases for vanilla commands

Performance stats: /gc (garbage collector) displays memory usage, ticks per second (TPS), and other server metrics

In short, EssentialsX truly lives up to its name by covering virtually every common server need in one plugin.

Complete Command List : Detailing every command here would be impractical. For the exhaustive list of commands and permission nodes, please refer to the official EssentialsX Wiki. There you’ll find precise syntax and the permission required for each command, an invaluable reference whenever you need to configure or troubleshoot a specific feature.

Add-on Modules of EssentialsX

EssentialsX consists of a core plugin and several optional modules you can add as needed. The EssentialsX Core provides the bulk of functionality (all the commands covered above, kit management, economy, teleportation and support for interactive signs). On its own, the Core is sufficient for most servers. However, the EssentialsX team offers separate plugins for more specific features. These add-ons must be downloaded and installed in addition to the Core (they do not work standalone). Here are the main ones:

1. EssentialsX Chat : Module for chat management. It lets you customise the chat format (colours, adding prefixes/suffixes before player names, different layouts per player group, etc.). For example, you can display a player’s rank or faction before their name, or colour admin names red. Prerequisites: you’ll need the Vault plugin (to manage prefixes/suffixes) and a permissions plugin such as LuckPerms to define groups. EssentialsX Chat will pull the prefixes and group names from your permissions plugin and insert them into the chat format.

1. EssentialsX Spawn : This module controls player spawn points on your server. It allows you to define the main spawn with /setspawn, the location where players appear on join and after death. You can even configure different spawns per group (for instance, sending newcomers to a tutorial area). Without this module, the /setspawn command is unavailable (and EssentialsX won’t alter the default server spawn). Tip: once EssentialsX Spawn is installed, remove any other spawn-management plugins to avoid conflicts. Assign the essentials.spawn permission to the groups you want to allow using /spawn.

1. EssentialsX Protect : A basic world-protection module. It lets you enforce global safety rules on your server, such as preventing creepers from destroying blocks, disabling fire spread, or banning the spawning of certain mobs. These settings are found under the Protect section in the config.yml. Warning: EssentialsX Protect is not a region-protection plugin, it does not offer per-region controls like WorldGuard. Its rules apply server-wide (or per world). If you need to protect specific areas, use a dedicated plugin (e.g. WorldGuard) alongside EssentialsX Protect.

1. EssentialsX AntiBuild : This module adds fine-grained controls over building and interacting with the world. By default, without AntiBuild, EssentialsX won’t prevent any player from building. With AntiBuild, you can specify that certain groups cannot place/break specific blocks or use certain items. For example, you might prevent visitors from building or forbid TNT use by non-ops. AntiBuild works via a mix of permissions and config: grant or deny the essentials.build (or inversely essentials.build.exempt) permission to groups, and list forbidden block IDs in config.yml if needed. Note that this is not region protection (use WorldGuard for that); it’s a global restriction by action/item type. Prerequisite: AntiBuild also requires a permissions plugin (e.g., LuckPerms) to manage build rights per group.

1. EssentialsX GeoIP : A purely informational add-on, it displays each player’s country (or region) on login based on their IP address. For instance, the join message might read “X joined from France.” Admins can also view this via /whois <player>. For privacy and legal reasons, be sure to inform your players if you enable this feature, though it’s quite common on Minecraft servers. Note: this module downloads a GeoIP database and updates it periodically.

1. EssentialsX Discord : A bridge between your Minecraft server and a Discord server. This plugin lets you link a Discord channel to in-game chat—messages sent in-game appear on Discord and vice versa, facilitating community communication even when players are offline. EssentialsX Discord can also relay server events (joins, leaves, deaths, broadcasts) to Discord. It even lets you execute Minecraft commands from Discord via slash commands (e.g., an admin could run /kick player from Discord without being in-game). Prerequisite: you must create and invite a Discord bot to your server, then configure the Minecraft–Discord link with its token. The EssentialsX documentation provides detailed setup steps.

In addition to those listed above, the EssentialsX team regularly develops and improves new modules. For example, EssentialsX Discord Link was recently added to deepen Discord integration: it synchronises Discord roles with in-game ranks/permissions (and vice versa) and can gate server access based on Discord group membership, ideal for communities reserving play for verified Discord members. Conversely, some older, niche modules exist (like EssentialsX XMPP, a gateway to Jabber/XMPP chat networks), but these are highly specialised and rarely used today.

How to Install These Add-ons

Just like the main plugin, each add-on is a separate .jar file (available on the same download page as EssentialsX Core). Simply place the jar into your server’s plugins folder and restart the server.

You should only install the modules you actually need.

For example, on a small survival server with friends, you’ll likely only use EssentialsX Core, and perhaps EssentialsX Spawn and EssentialsX Chat. There’s no need to load Protect or AntiBuild if you’re not planning to use their features.

On the other hand, for a public server with many players, it's recommended to add Protect, AntiBuild, Chat, and Spawn to fully cover your moderation and security needs.

Using Commands and Permissions

With EssentialsX Core and any additional modules installed, you now have access to a comprehensive suite of commands. However, by default, only server operators (OPs) can use most of them.

Regular players will only be able to use basic commands (like /help or /msg, if enabled) unless you assign the right permissions.

To manage who can use what, we strongly recommend using a permissions plugin, such as LuckPerms.

For example, you might want all players to use teleport commands like /tpa and /home, without giving them OP status (which grants unrestricted access to every command). With a permissions plugin, you can:

1. Create a “Players” group and assign it the appropriate EssentialsX permissions (e.g. essentials.tpa, essentials.sethome, etc.)
2. Create a “Moderator” group with intermediate permissions (essentials.kick, essentials.mute, etc.)
3. Set up an “Admin” group with broader or full permissions, as needed for your server hierarchy

LuckPerms also includes a user-friendly web editor, which makes setting up groups and permissions much easier. If you need help with that, feel free to check out our dedicated guide on how to use it.

Finally, don’t forget that EssentialsX has extensive documentation (in English) on its official website. It covers all commands, modules, configuration options, and more.

If you’re ever unsure how a feature works, refer to the EssentialsX Wiki or FAQ, it’s a valuable resource for beginners and experienced server owners alike.

Need help or have questions? You can also open a support ticket via your Minestrator panel, or join our Discord to get assistance directly from our team.

Happy crafting on your server! 🎮