Op (operator)
A server operator: a player allowed to use admin commands. Minecraft has four op levels, from bypassing spawn protection to full control.
Op is short for operator. An op is a player who can use commands that normal players cannot, such as changing game modes, teleporting others or stopping the server. Ops are stored in ops.json in the server folder.
Giving and removing op
/op <name>makes a player an operator./deop <name>removes it.
Run these from the server console the first time, since nobody has op rights yet.
Op levels
Each op has a permission level from 1 to 4:
- Can build inside spawn protection.
- Can use most cheat commands like
/gamemode,/giveand/tp, and can edit command blocks. - Can use player management commands like
/kick,/banand/op. - Can use all commands, including
/stopand/save-all.
The level assigned by /op comes from op-permission-level in server.properties, which defaults to 4. You can set a different level per player by editing ops.json while the server is stopped.
Why it matters for server owners
Op is all-or-nothing within each level. A level 4 op can stop the server, give themselves any item and op anyone else. On a small server among friends that is fine. On a server with staff and players you trust differently, it is too coarse.
For that, use a permissions plugin such as LuckPerms. It lets you grant single commands or plugin features to groups like “moderator” without handing out full op.
Practical tip
Keep the list of ops short and review it regularly. Remove op from anyone who no longer helps run the server, and never op someone just so they can use one command. Remote tools like RCON also have full console access, so protect them with the same care.