Vault
Permission, chat and economy API. Acts as a bridge between plugins so they can share economy balances, permission groups and chat formatting without direct dependencies.
EconomyWhat is Vault?
Vault is not a feature plugin — it is an abstraction layer. It defines a common interface for economy, permissions and chat so that, for example, a shop plugin can move money without knowing whether the balance lives in EssentialsX, CMI or a dedicated economy plugin. Plugins register as providers, other plugins consume the service, and Vault brokers the connection. This is why so many economy and permission setups list Vault as a hard dependency despite it adding no player-facing commands of its own.
Who it's for: Any server running an economy or permission-aware plugin. If you have shops, jobs, land claims with costs, or chat prefixes pulled from a permissions plugin, Vault is the glue that lets them all agree on the numbers. It is built and maintained by Sleaker and sits in the economy category.
Key features of Vault
- Unified economy API
- Permission system bridge
- Chat format abstraction
- Multi-plugin compatibility
- Developer-friendly hooks
How to install Vault
Vault runs on Bukkit, Spigot or Paper servers. Version-agnostic by design. Because Vault only bridges other plugins rather than touching world internals, a single recent build runs across a very wide range of Bukkit, Spigot and Paper versions.
- 1Stop your server, or have it ready to restart. Always back up your world and plugins folder before adding a new plugin.
- 2Download Vault.jar (a build matching your server version) and place it in your server's /plugins folder.
- 3Vault has no required dependencies, so it runs on its own once the jar is in place.
- 4Start the server fully. Vault generates its configuration files on first launch — stop the server, edit them to taste, then start again.
- 5Confirm it loaded by checking the console for Vault on startup, or by running one of its commands in-game.
Note: Drop Vault.jar into /plugins and restart. Vault does nothing on its own — you must also install at least one provider (an economy plugin such as EssentialsX, and/or a permissions plugin such as LuckPerms). On startup Vault logs which providers it has hooked.
Vault FAQ
Vault has no commands. Is it broken?
No. Vault is an API bridge with no player commands by design. Its only job is to connect an economy or permissions plugin to the plugins that need them. If the plugins that depend on it work, Vault is working.
Do I still need an economy plugin if I have Vault?
Yes. Vault provides the interface, not the money. You need a provider such as EssentialsX, CMI or a standalone economy plugin to actually store balances. Vault then lets shops and other plugins read and modify those balances.
How do I check what Vault has hooked?
Look at the server console on startup — Vault logs the economy, permission and chat providers it found. You can also confirm indirectly: if money transfers and prefix formatting work across plugins, Vault has hooked them correctly.
Can Vault bridge LuckPerms for chat prefixes?
Yes. With Vault and LuckPerms installed, a chat plugin like EssentialsXChat can read group prefixes and suffixes through Vault without depending on LuckPerms directly. This is the standard way prefixes reach chat formatting.
Is VaultUnlocked the same as Vault?
VaultUnlocked is a community fork that extends the original Vault API with newer multi-currency and UUID-oriented methods. For most servers the classic Vault is sufficient; only switch if a plugin specifically asks for the VaultUnlocked API.
Features
- Unified economy API
- Permission system bridge
- Chat format abstraction
- Multi-plugin compatibility
- Developer-friendly hooks