Overview

GroupManager organizes permissions into groups and lets administrators assign players to them. Inheritance and promotion or demotion hierarchies support servers with distinct authority levels, from default players to staff and owners. That structure can reduce repetitive permission assignments, but it requires administrators to plan ranks and exceptions carefully.

Users and groups can be managed through configuration files, console commands, or in-game commands. Operators can choose the workflow that fits how they administer a server, though the tool remains focused on permissions rather than broader moderation.

Key features

Permission rules and timed access

Wildcard, negative, and exception permission nodes allow broad access to be narrowed where needed. User and group permissions can also expire after a set duration, which suits temporary grants better than permanent rank changes. These controls provide flexibility, but they make a well-maintained permission hierarchy important.

Variables and integrations

Users and groups can have variables such as prefixes, suffixes, and build status. Chat plug-ins can read prefixes and suffixes, while other plug-ins may use build status; GroupManager itself does not enforce antigrief behavior. PlaceholderAPI support exposes group, subgroup, prefix, suffix, and permission-check placeholders for compatible integrations. Developers can declare GroupManager as a provided Maven dependency through JitPack.

Storage and setup

Storage backends include YAML, H2, MySQL, SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB. That range gives operators options for different server setups, but the choice of backend does not turn GroupManager into a hosted service: it is self-hosted software. Installation involves placing the JAR in the server plugins folder, starting and stopping the server, and editing config.yml.

The v3.2 release is labeled for Minecraft 1.8 to 1.20+. By default, user data is purged at server start after 90 days without a login; setting lastplayed to 0 protects an account from that purge. The project directs users to GitHub issues and a GroupManager Discord for assistance, and is released under the GNU General Public License version 3.

Pricing

GroupManager is free: the GroupManager plan costs 0.00 USD per free and is GPL-3.0 licensed. There is no paid plan listed, so server owners can use its permission and storage features without choosing a paid tier. The main trade-off is operational: they host and administer the plug-in themselves.

Platforms

GroupManager is self-hosted and supports Bukkit and Spigot servers. It is intended for Minecraft server environments, not as a general-purpose identity or access-management platform.

Who it's for

GroupManager fits Minecraft server owners who need configurable ranks, inherited authority levels, expiring permissions, and variables that compatible plug-ins can consume. It is a practical choice when operators want control over the permission structure and are comfortable managing a self-hosted plug-in.

It is not the right choice as a standalone answer to griefing or build protection. GroupManager only exposes build status for other plug-ins to use, so servers needing protection must pair it with separate tools.

Pros and cons

Flexible rank structure: Inheritance and promotion or demotion hierarchies support multiple authority levels without treating every player as a separate case.
Fine-grained rules: Wildcard, negative, exception, and expiring permissions cover broad access as well as temporary or restricted grants.
Multiple storage options: YAML and several database backends, including MySQL and PostgreSQL, give operators a choice of persistence approach.
No built-in antigrief protection: Build status is only a value other plug-ins may use; protection depends on separate software.
Self-hosted administration: Operators handle installation, configuration, and account-data retention themselves.

Alternatives

For other options, browse Minecraft Permissions Plugins.

Multipass is another free, self-hosted permissions plug-in, described for Nukkit servers; choose it when Nukkit is the target environment.
LuckPerms is free, MIT-licensed software with API, Linux, self-hosted, and web platforms; consider it when those platform options or that license fit better.
Nimbus AntiCheat is a free self-hosted option with 43 checks, Paper 1.21.8 support, per-check punishments, player reports, staff inspection tools, and Discord webhook notifications; choose it for anticheat checks and staff inspection rather than rank management.
BungeePerms is a free self-hosted permissions plug-in for BungeeCord/Velocity and Spigot/PaperSpigot; choose it when those server platforms are the requirement.
ServerRoles is a free option for API and self-hosted platforms.
ThunderPerms is a free self-hosted option.
ReducedX-Anti Cheat is a free self-hosted option.
PermissionManager is a free option.

Verdict

Choose GroupManager if you run a Bukkit or Spigot Minecraft server and want a free, self-hosted system for ranks, inherited permissions, and timed grants. Its configurable rules and storage choices are the main reasons to use it; look elsewhere or add separate plug-ins if you need antigrief protection or a platform beyond Bukkit and Spigot.

	GroupManager	Winzoo
Free plan	Yes	No
Free trial	No	No
Paid from	Free	—
Open source	No	No
Platforms	self-hosted	Windows
Free plan	Yes	Yes
Platform	—	windows
Taskbar positioning	—	Yes
Multi-monitor support	—	Yes
Portable version	—	Yes

GroupManager vs Winzoo

GroupManager

Winzoo