> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://tne.gitbook.io/vaultunlocked/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://tne.gitbook.io/vaultunlocked/overview/introduction.md).

# Introduction

## Introduction to VaultUnlocked

**VaultUnlocked** is a modern, cross-platform service abstraction API designed to provide a **single, stable integration layer** for **Economy**, **Permissions**, and **Chat** systems.

It is the spiritual successor to the original Vault API, rebuilt with modern platforms, extensibility, and long-term maintenance in mind.

VaultUnlocked supports:

* **Paper / Spigot / Bukkit**
* **Hytale**

with the **same core API concepts and philosophy**, allowing plugins to remain portable across ecosystems.

***

### Downloads & Source

#### Paper / Spigot / Bukkit / Folia

* **Download:**\
  <https://modrinth.com/plugin/vaultunlocked>
* **Source Code:**\
  <https://github.com/TheNewEconomy/VaultUnlocked>

***

#### Hytale

* **Download:**\
  <https://www.curseforge.com/hytale/mods/vaultunlocked>
* **Source Code:**\
  <https://github.com/TheNewEconomy/VaultUnlocked-Hytale>

***

### What Problem Does VaultUnlocked Solve?

In multiplayer server environments, plugins often need access to:

* Player balances
* Permission checks
* Group metadata
* Chat prefixes, suffixes, and formatting data

Without a shared abstraction layer, plugins must:

* Hard-depend on specific implementations
* Re-implement compatibility logic
* Break when providers change

VaultUnlocked solves this by acting as a **neutral contract** between plugins, allowing providers and consumers to evolve independently.

***

### Enhanced Functionality Over Vault

VaultUnlocked builds upon the foundation laid by Vault, but significantly expands what is possible—especially for plugins that adopt the updated API.

It is designed to handle **modern server requirements**, **complex economic systems**, and **advanced execution models** that the original Vault API was never built to support.

***

### Why VaultUnlocked?

Choosing VaultUnlocked over Vault offers clear advantages for both **plugin developers** and **server administrators**.

VaultUnlocked:

* Extends Vault’s original concepts with modern capabilities
* Supports advanced server frameworks like **Folia**
* Introduces multicurrency and precision-based economy handling
* Remains actively maintained and forward-looking

For servers running complex economies or modern infrastructure, VaultUnlocked is a **more robust, future-proof solution**.

***

### Key Improvements and Additional Functionality

#### Multicurrency Support

VaultUnlocked introduces **native multicurrency support**, allowing servers to operate multiple currencies simultaneously.

This enables:

* Region-based currencies
* Faction-specific economies
* Premium vs standard currencies
* Advanced gameplay-driven economic systems

By handling multiple currencies cleanly, VaultUnlocked ensures transactions remain accurate and flexible across diverse server designs.

***

#### BigDecimal-Based Economy Calculations

VaultUnlocked uses **BigDecimal** for economy values, enabling:

* High-precision calculations
* Accurate fractional values
* Reliable handling of very large numbers

This is essential for servers with complex or long-running economies where floating-point inaccuracies are unacceptable.

*(BigDecimal and UUID contributions by LlmDl)*

***

#### UUID-Based Player Identification

VaultUnlocked fully supports **UUID-based identification**, ensuring:

* Player data remains consistent
* Name changes do not break economies or permissions
* Long-term data reliability across systems

This aligns VaultUnlocked with modern server expectations and best practices.

***

#### Folia Support

VaultUnlocked is compatible with **Folia**, a server framework focused on scalability and concurrency.

This allows:

* Safe usage in regionized execution environments
* Better performance under load
* Compatibility with next-generation server architectures

VaultUnlocked abstracts away platform differences while remaining safe and predictable.

***

#### Better Plugin Compatibility

VaultUnlocked improves compatibility with popular plugins such as **Towny**, reducing:

* Conflicts between systems
* Edge-case behavior in permissions and economy handling
* Performance overhead caused by legacy assumptions

This results in smoother plugin interactions and more stable server environments.

***

#### Active Development

VaultUnlocked is **actively developed**, ensuring:

* Ongoing improvements
* Bug fixes and optimizations
* Continued compatibility with evolving platforms
* Responsiveness to community feedback

Unlike legacy Vault, VaultUnlocked is designed to evolve alongside modern server ecosystems.

***

### Core Functionality

VaultUnlocked provides standardized access to:

#### Economy

* Balance retrieval
* Deposits and withdrawals
* Multicurrency support
* Precise financial calculations
* Account existence checks

#### Permissions

* Tri-state permission checks (TRUE / FALSE / UNDEFINED)
* Context-aware lookups (global vs world)
* Explicit subject modeling (players and groups)
* Metadata access

#### Chat

* Prefix and suffix retrieval
* Context-aware chat metadata
* Unified formatting access
* Provider-agnostic chat integration

***

### Providers and Consumers

VaultUnlocked is built around two roles:

#### Providers

Providers are plugins that **supply functionality**, such as:

* Economy plugins
* Permission systems
* Chat formatting plugins

They implement VaultUnlocked interfaces and register themselves so other plugins can use them.

#### Consumers

Consumers are plugins that **use functionality**, such as:

* Gamemodes
* Minigames
* Factions and land systems
* Shops, NPCs, and UI plugins

Consumers remain independent of specific implementations.

***

### Cross-Platform by Design

VaultUnlocked is intentionally consistent across platforms:

* Identical API concepts
* Shared package structure
* Consistent service boundaries

This allows developers to:

* Write integrations once
* Support multiple platforms
* Avoid platform-specific rewrites

While internal registration differs between Paper and Hytale, the **developer-facing API remains familiar**.

***

### What VaultUnlocked Is Not

VaultUnlocked is **not**:

* An economy plugin
* A permissions plugin
* A chat formatting plugin

It does not store data or enforce behavior.

VaultUnlocked defines **how plugins communicate**, not what they do internally.

***

### Who Should Use VaultUnlocked?

VaultUnlocked is ideal for:

* Plugin developers targeting Paper, Spigot, Bukkit, or Hytale
* Servers running multiple interacting plugins
* Developers maintaining cross-platform ecosystems
* Anyone seeking clean, future-proof integrations

***

### Moving Forward

The rest of the documentation covers:

* Providing Economy, Permissions, and Chat services
* Consuming VaultUnlocked services
* Platform-specific lifecycle notes
* Best practices for performance and compatibility

VaultUnlocked exists to make plugin ecosystems **simpler, more powerful, and future-proof** — across both current and next-generation platforms.


---

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