Getting started
How do I make myself admin on my Enshrouded server?
On this page
Enshrouded doesn’t keep a list of admins. Each user group in enshrouded_server.json has its own password, and the password you join with decides your group. Join with the Admin group’s password and you’re an admin.
Set the Admin password
- Stop your server from the Game Panel.
- Open
enshrouded_server.jsonin your Game Panel’s file manager. It’s in the server’s main folder, and the server makes it the first time it starts. - Find
userGroups. Each group has its own block inside{ }, starting with itsname. - In the block with
"name": "Admin", put your own password between the quote marks after"password":. - Give each of the other groups its own, different password.
- Save the file and start your server.
The Admin block in Keen’s default file looks like this, with your password in place of theirs:
{
"name": "Admin",
"password": "something-long-and-yours",
"canKickBan": true,
"canAccessInventories": true,
"canEditWorld": true,
"canEditBase": true,
"canExtendBase": true,
"reservedSlots": 0
}
The other groups follow it inside the same [ ], with a comma between each block.
Warning
Give every group a password. Keen’s guide says that if no password is set, every player can see your server and get in.
Join as admin
Join your server from Enshrouded’s server list and enter the Admin password. Keen’s guide is simple on this: whoever logs in with a group’s password gets that group’s permissions. There’s nothing else to switch on.
What each group can do
Keen’s default file comes with four groups. Each permission is true or false:
| Permission | What it allows | Admin | Friend | Guest | Visitor |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
canKickBan |
Kicking and banning other players | Yes | No | No | No |
canAccessInventories |
Using chests and other containers in a base | Yes | Yes | No | No |
canEditBase |
Building, removing and terraforming in a player base | Yes | Yes | No | No |
canExtendBase |
Not described by Keen (see below) | Yes | No | No | No |
canEditWorld |
Changing the world outside the bases | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
Keen’s guide doesn’t say what canExtendBase covers. Their patch notes list adding, upgrading and removing Flame Altars as one of the permissions, and it’s the only setting left that could be it. Until Keen confirms it, treat it as the Flame Altar switch and give it only to people you’d trust with your base.
Every group can fight, explore and get on with quests. You can change any group’s permissions, or add groups of your own.
reservedSlots keeps slots free for a group. Once the rest are taken, the server shows as full to anyone joining with another group’s password, so your admins and friends can still get in on a busy night.
Changing someone’s role
On a dedicated server you can’t promote or demote people while they’re playing. Keen’s 1.0 notes say the user groups and their passwords work as they always have. To move someone to another group, give them that group’s password and have them rejoin.
To take admin away from someone, stop the server, change the Admin password, start it again, and only give the new one to people who should have it.
Tip
Keep the Admin password to yourself and hand out the Friend one. The password is the only thing deciding who’s an admin, so anyone who knows it can kick and ban.
The old password line
Servers set up before user groups existed had one "password" line near the top of the file. Keen no longer uses it to protect the server. If it still holds a password, Enshrouded makes a group called default with that password and the same rights as Friend, so anyone using it won’t be an admin.
If friends can’t get in at all, see Why can’t my friends join my Enshrouded server?