What the Vault plugin is and when you need it

Vault is a bridge between plugins. It lets a plugin that needs money, ranks or chat prefixes talk to whichever plugin provides them. Vault does nothing alone: it gives no money, no ranks and no chat prefixes. You install it only when another plugin tells you it needs it, and you also need a plugin that supplies what the bridge connects to, such as an economy plugin.

This guide does not name an economy plugin for 26.3: EssentialsX, the usual one, had no 26.3 build on 11 October 2026. In Add-ons, search for an economy plugin, check on its page that it supports Vault and your version, and take a backup first.

What Vault does

The project page describes Vault as a “Permissions, Chat, & Economy API”. That means three kinds of plugin can plug into it:

Economy: a plugin that keeps player balances.
Permissions: a plugin that decides who may do what.
Chat: a plugin that adds prefixes and suffixes to names.

Other plugins ask Vault for these things, so each of them does not have to support every economy plugin one by one. A shop plugin asks Vault “take 10 from this player”, and Vault passes the question to your economy plugin.

Vault has only a few settings of its own. The project page lists a config key update-check, which turns the update check on or off, and two permissions, vault.admin and vault.update, which both default to operators.

Which plugins ask for it

A plugin names Vault in its own page, usually under “dependencies” or “requirements”. These pages say so:

GriefPrevention: Vault and an economy plugin together let players buy and sell claim blocks with server money (the commands are /buyclaimblocks and /sellclaimblocks). See protect builds with GriefPrevention.
Multiverse-Core: an entry fee for a world can be charged in server money, “via Vault + an economy plugin”. See Multiverse.
EssentialsX: its economy is on Vault’s list of supported economy plugins. The panel had no EssentialsX build for 26.3 on 11 October 2026. See install EssentialsX.

If a plugin needs Vault and it is missing, the console shows Unknown/missing dependency plugins: [Vault]. The panel does not fetch dependencies for you, so install Vault yourself and restart.

Which version to install

The original Vault has not had a release since version 1.7.3 on 17 July 2020. For a current server, use VaultUnlocked, which its authors call “a modern drop-in Vault fork”. Drop-in means it takes the place of Vault, so plugins that ask for Vault keep working.

On 11 October 2026 the VaultUnlocked page on Modrinth listed version 2.20.3, published 16 September 2026, for Minecraft 26.1.2, 26.2 and 26.3 on Paper, Purpur, Spigot, Bukkit and Folia. The panel offers builds made for your exact version. On 11 October 2026 its Modrinth search on a Purpur 26.3 server listed VaultUnlocked with an Install button. Not checked on 26.3 as of 11 October 2026: running it next to economy plugins.

In the ArthOS panel

Your server must run Paper or Purpur. Open Add-ons and check that a Plugins button is there.
Open Plugins. Under Find plugins choose Modrinth.
Search for VaultUnlocked and choose Install. Pick the version marked Newest.
Install the plugin that needs Vault, and an economy plugin if the job needs money.
Choose Restart now. Plugins load only at a restart. See install plugins.
Type plugins in the Console. Look for Vault or VaultUnlocked in green. Not checked as of 11 October 2026: which of the two names the list shows for VaultUnlocked.

By hand

Download the VaultUnlocked jar from its Modrinth page, or Vault from the original page on Bukkit if you want the old one. Use only the plugin’s own pages.
Put the jar in the plugins folder with Files, Upload, Upload from computer.
Restart the server. Type plugins in the console. A green name means the plugin is running.

If it does not work

Unknown/missing dependency plugins: [Vault]. Vault is not installed or did not load. Install it and restart.
Vault loads but money commands do nothing. You have the bridge but no economy plugin behind it. Install a plugin that keeps balances.
Vault is red in the plugin list. Read the first error in logs/latest.log. The usual cause is a build made for a different Minecraft version. See a plugin will not load.
Both Vault and VaultUnlocked are installed. Keep one. They do the same job.

Servers for all of this are on the Minecraft page.

Sources: dev.bukkit.org: Vault, modrinth.com: Vaultunlocked, api.modrinth.com: Version, legacy.griefprevention.com: Configuration, mvplugins.org: Setup entry fee, docs.papermc.io: Adding plugins

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