{"id":169,"date":"2022-05-13T11:34:55","date_gmt":"2022-05-13T15:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/browsit.org\/blog\/?p=169"},"modified":"2026-04-15T16:13:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T20:13:59","slug":"6245","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/browsit.org\/blog\/spigot\/6245\/","title":{"rendered":"Do I need PlaceholderAPI installed?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Probably. We recommend the PlaceholderAPI plugin for your server.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Image credit: HelpChat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

PlaceholderAPI<\/a> is a resource from the lovely folks at HelpChat which lets you display information from supported plugins nearly anywhere text can be processed. Using their innovative Expansion Cloud service, finding integration for your favorite plugin is as simple as visiting their website. Expansions which have been verified by the PAPI team can even be downloaded live with a simple server command. If you’re unable to find integration for a resource, chances are it may already be included with the plugin. Either way, supporting PlaceholderAPI<\/a> is well-documented should a developer be implored to use it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After installation, using PlaceholderAPI integration has a slight learning curve. Placeholders (sometimes called “variables”) can theoretically look like anything, but most developers use a term flanked by percentage signs. For example, the %player_name%<\/code> placeholder will show the name of whomever is viewing that message, whether via chat plugin, scoreboard handler, or some other text processor. The problem? Despite being one of the most popular<\/a> placeholders, it is not included with the plugin. Having to first download the Player expansion<\/a> trips up many new users expecting some default functionality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the plugin is well-written and is as critical to customizing your server as Vault<\/a> is to creating an economy. In fact, Vault is one of over 230 resources supported by an expansion. Others include LuckPerms<\/a> for permission data, EssentialsX<\/a> for home and kit information, and Quests<\/a> for progress tracking. With a responsive Discord community, and a neatly-organized page on SpigotMC since its release as Clips Placeholder API<\/a> in 2015, it’s no wonder this plugin continues to see use by tens of thousands of servers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n