User groups are how Enshrouded decides who can do what on your server. Each group has its own password and its own set of permissions, and whichever password a player types in when they join decides which group they are placed in. This guide explains what each user group setting does, how to edit them, and how to add your own roles, such as a builder group that can change the world but cannot kick or ban anyone.

How user groups work

• Every player belongs to exactly one group, chosen by the password they enter when joining.
• Each group has a name, a password, a list of permissions and an optional number of reserved slots.
• Groups are stored in the userGroups section of the server's main configuration file, enshrouded_server.json.
• A fresh server starts with a default player group and an admin group. You can edit these or add as many extra groups as you need.

Because the password is what places a player in a group, every group must have a different password.

What each setting does

Every group in the userGroups section uses the same set of settings:

• name: a label for the group, such as Default, Builder or Admin. It is only for your own reference, so choose something that makes sense to you.
• password: the password players type in to join as this group. It must be unique across all groups.
• canKickBan: allows the group to kick and ban other players. Usually only admins should have this.
• canAccessInventories: allows the group to open chests and use factories.
• canEditWorld: allows the group to edit terrain and props out in the world, outside of bases.
• canEditBase: allows the group to edit terrain and props inside bases.
• canExtendBase: allows the group to place flame altars, put out flames and upgrade bases.
• reservedSlots: the number of player slots held back for this group, so its members can still join when the server is otherwise full. Use 0 for no reserved slots.

The permission settings take either true (allowed) or false (not allowed). Write them in lowercase and without quotation marks.

Example user groups

This example has three groups: a default player group, a builder group that can edit the world but cannot kick or ban, and an admin group with every permission.

"userGroups": [
  {
    "name": "Default",
    "password": "PlayerPasswordHere",
    "canKickBan": false,
    "canAccessInventories": true,
    "canEditWorld": false,
    "canEditBase": true,
    "canExtendBase": true,
    "reservedSlots": 0
  },
  {
    "name": "Builder",
    "password": "BuilderPasswordHere",
    "canKickBan": false,
    "canAccessInventories": true,
    "canEditWorld": true,
    "canEditBase": true,
    "canExtendBase": true,
    "reservedSlots": 0
  },
  {
    "name": "Admin",
    "password": "AdminPasswordHere",
    "canKickBan": true,
    "canAccessInventories": true,
    "canEditWorld": true,
    "canEditBase": true,
    "canExtendBase": true,
    "reservedSlots": 0
  }
]

How to edit your user groups

1. Sign in to your game control panel and open your Enshrouded server.
2. Stop the server and wait for it to shut down fully.
3. Open Configuration Files in the panel.
4. Open enshrouded_server.json using the text editor.
5. Find the userGroups section.
6. Change the passwords and permissions you want to adjust. Set a permission to true to allow it or false to block it.
7. Select Save & Exit.
8. Start the server.

How to add a new group

1. Follow the steps above to open enshrouded_server.json in the text editor.
2. In the userGroups section, copy one of the existing groups, from its opening curly brace to its closing curly brace.
3. Paste the copy directly after the last group, and add a comma after the group that comes before it.
4. Give the new group a unique name and a unique password.
5. Set the permissions you want the group to have.
6. Save the file and start the server.

To remove a group, delete its whole block, from the opening curly brace to the closing one, and make sure the group that is now last has no comma after it.

Formatting rules to follow

The configuration file is JSON, which is strict about its formatting. A single mistake can stop the server from starting.

• Put a comma between each group, but not after the last one.
• Names and passwords go inside straight double quotation marks. true, false and numbers do not.
• Do not add notes or comments inside the file, as JSON does not support them.
• Keep the whole userGroups section inside the file's outer curly braces and square brackets.
• Avoid quotation marks and backslashes inside passwords, as they can break the file.
• You can use online JSON code validators such as https://jsonlint.com/ to detect any errors.

Troubleshooting

• The server will not start after an edit: this is almost always a formatting mistake, usually a missing or extra comma, or a missing quotation mark. Check the userGroups section line by line, or paste the file into an online JSON validator to find the error.
• Changes are not taking effect: make sure the server was fully stopped before you edited the file, and that you saved it before starting the server again.
• A player has the wrong permissions: ask which password they used. If two groups share the same password, the game cannot tell them apart, so make sure every password is different.
• A player cannot join a full server: give their group some reservedSlots so there is always room for them.

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