How do I password-protect my server or control who can join (whitelist, premium-only)? — Control Panel

Q: I run a cracked server but still want authentication — is that possible?

Yes — set online-mode=false and add an auth plugin so players register and log in with a password.

Q: How do I ban a specific player or their connection?

Use ban Name or ban-ip in the Console to block a player or their IP.

Controlling who can join your server is done with a mix of built-in settings and plugins — a whitelist for allowed players, online-mode for premium-only, and an auth plugin if you want a join password. Here's how each works.

Your access-control options

The whitelist restricts your server to a list of approved players. Keeping online-mode=true ensures only authenticated (premium) Mojang/Microsoft accounts can connect. And if you want an actual password or PIN to enter, that's handled by a login/auth plugin on plugin-capable software (the Paper/Spigot family).

How to lock down your server

Enable the whitelist: run whitelist on in the Console, or set white-list=true in server.properties, then add players with whitelist add Name.
For premium-only access, keep online-mode=true so only authenticated accounts can join.
For a join password or PIN, install a login/auth plugin (on plugin-capable software) via the Plugins tab.

Tip: A whitelist plus online-mode=true is the simplest, strongest way to keep a server private to just your group — no extra plugins required.

Frequently asked questions

I run a cracked server but still want authentication — is that possible? Yes — set online-mode=false and add an auth plugin so players register and log in with a password.

How do I ban a specific player or their connection? Use ban Name or ban-ip in the Console to block a player or their IP.