Enshrouded Server Password and Permissions (userGroups Guide)

An Enshrouded dedicated server has no single password. Instead, enshrouded_server.json holds a list of userGroups, each with its own password and permissions such as canKickBan and canEditBase, and the password a player types when joining decides which group they land in. Give your admin password to one or two people, a Friend password to your regular group, and if you want, a Guest password for people who can explore but not touch your base.

How do Enshrouded server passwords work?

When a player joins a password protected server, the game asks for a password. The server checks it against every group in userGroups:

• Admin password typed: the player joins as Admin.
• Friend password typed: the player joins as Friend.
• No match: they cannot join.

Two rules follow from that:

1. Every group needs its own password. If two groups share one, you cannot control which role people get.
2. A group with an empty password lets anyone in with that group's permissions. Keen Games strongly recommends setting passwords. An empty Visitor password is a fairly safe way to run an open server. An empty Admin password hands kick and ban to strangers.

The old single "password" line at the top of the file is from before Update 2 and no longer sets the server password. If the server finds one there, it turns it into a group called default with Friend style permissions.

Where is enshrouded_server.json?

The server creates it the first time it starts, in the same folder as enshrouded_server.exe. Always stop the server before editing it, then start it again. The file is read on start.

The four default groups

A fresh file from current versions of the server comes with four groups. All of them can fight, loot, gather and do quests in the open world. The differences are about bases, storage and moderation:

Every permission explained

The one people trip over is canExtendBase. A Friend without it can build all day inside an existing base but cannot place a new Flame Altar or upgrade the one you have. For a trusted group of friends, turn it on. For a public server, keep it to admins so nobody plants altars all over your area.

Example: a server with four roles

"userGroups": [
  {
    "name": "Admin",
    "password": "use-a-long-unique-one",
    "canKickBan": true,
    "canAccessInventories": true,
    "canEditWorld": true,
    "canEditBase": true,
    "canExtendBase": true,
    "reservedSlots": 1
  },
  {
    "name": "Friend",
    "password": "crew-password",
    "canKickBan": false,
    "canAccessInventories": true,
    "canEditWorld": true,
    "canEditBase": true,
    "canExtendBase": true,
    "reservedSlots": 2
  },
  {
    "name": "Guest",
    "password": "guest-password",
    "canKickBan": false,
    "canAccessInventories": false,
    "canEditWorld": true,
    "canEditBase": false,
    "canExtendBase": false,
    "reservedSlots": 0
  },
  {
    "name": "Visitor",
    "password": "visitor-password",
    "canKickBan": false,
    "canAccessInventories": false,
    "canEditWorld": false,
    "canEditBase": false,
    "canExtendBase": false,
    "reservedSlots": 0
  }
]

Watch the commas: every group except the last ends with },. A missing or extra comma stops the server reading the file.

Making your own groups

You are not limited to the defaults. Add a new block with any name and the permissions you want. Keen's own example: a group that can use chests and crafting stations but cannot add or remove anything in bases. That is handy for a helper who runs your smelters without being trusted with the walls.

Ideas that work well:

• Builder: everything except canKickBan, for the one friend who designs the base.
• Crafter: canAccessInventories only.
• Moderator: canKickBan without canExtendBase, for someone who keeps order but does not redesign your base.

What are reserved slots?

reservedSlots keeps that many slots free for a group. When the server would otherwise fill up, players from other groups see it as full, so the reserved slots stay open. With "reservedSlots": 1 on Admin, you can always get onto your own server even when guests fill every other slot.

Reserved slots come out of the total in slotCount, so do not reserve more than you have. On a 4 slot server, reserving 2 for Friends leaves only 2 for everyone else.

How do I kick or ban a player?

Join with the Admin password, or any group with canKickBan, and use the player list in game to kick or ban. Bans are stored in the same file, in the banned accounts list at the bottom, so they survive restarts. To unban someone, stop the server, remove their entry from that list and start again.

How do I change roles without everyone rejoining?

A player's role is set by the password they used when they joined. To move someone up or down, give them the other password and have them leave and join again with it. Changing a group's password in the file locks out everyone using the old one at their next join, which is the cleanest way to cut someone off.

Game settings in the same file

enshrouded_server.json also holds the difficulty. gameSettingsPreset takes Default, Relaxed, Hard, Survival or Custom, and only Custom uses the detailed values in the gameSettings block, like enemyDamageFactor or dayTimeDuration. Our Enshrouded server settings guide covers every key.

Passwords and roles on GamezServers

On a GamezServers Enshrouded server the two main roles are panel settings:

Set them in Settings and restart. The Admin password is generated for you if you leave it empty, and you can look it up in the panel any time. Leaving the Friend password empty makes the server open to anyone.

The panel writes those first two groups into the file on every start, so change their passwords and permissions in Settings, not in the file. To add Guest, Visitor or your own groups, press Stop, open the Files tab, edit enshrouded_server.json and add them after the Friend group. They stay exactly as you write them. The Game settings setting in the panel picks the preset, and choosing Custom uses the gameSettings values in the file.

FAQ

How do I make myself admin on an Enshrouded server?

Join with the Admin group's password. There is no separate admin list or command, the password is the role.

How do I make an Enshrouded server public with no password?

Leave the password empty on the group you want strangers to get, ideally Visitor or Guest, and keep strong passwords on Admin and Friend.

Why can my friend not open chests?

They joined with a password whose group has canAccessInventories set to false, like Guest. Give them the Friend password and have them rejoin.

Can I give one player admin without sharing the admin password?

Not directly, since roles come from passwords. Make a separate group with its own password and the permissions you want, and give that to them.

Will changing permissions reset my world?

No. Groups and passwords only control access. The world, bases and progress stay as they are.

Set it once, in a browser

On a hosted Enshrouded server, the Admin and Friend passwords are two boxes in Settings, and the file is right there in the Files tab for the rest. See Enshrouded server hosting or the Enshrouded quick start.