Nicknames

A Minecraft mod/plugin that adds a simple nickname system. Players can change their display name once; server admins can manage nicknames freely.

Supports Forge (1.20.1), Fabric (1.21.1), and Bukkit/Paper/Purpur (1.21.1).

Features

• /nick <name> — set your own nickname (one-time use per player)
• /nick set <player> <name> — admin: set a player's nickname
• /nick reset <player> — admin: reset a player's nickname
• /nick list — admin: list all nicknames with status
• Nicknames appear in chat, TAB list, and above player heads
• Nicknames sync to clients for proper nameplate rendering
• Mod is optional on the client — server works standalone, client just gets nameplate sync
• Localization support (English, Russian)
• Nickname data persists in config/nicknames/nicknames.json (Forge/Fabric) or plugins/Nicknames/nicknames.json (Bukkit)

Client-Server Architecture

The mod uses a custom nicknames:sync channel to synchronize nicknames between server and clients.

Server stores all nicknames and is the source of truth. When a nickname changes or a player joins, the server sends a full nickname map (UUID -> display name) to all connected clients.

Client (optional) receives the sync packet and caches nicknames locally. This cache is used to render nicknames above player heads (nameplates). Without the client mod, players still see nicknames in chat and TAB list — those are handled server-side.

This works across platforms: a Bukkit/Purpur server can sync nicknames to Forge or Fabric clients via Plugin Messaging.

| Server | Client | Chat | TAB | Nameplates |
|--------|--------|------|-----|------------|
| Forge | Forge | yes | yes | yes |
| Fabric | Fabric | yes | yes | yes |
| Bukkit | Forge/Fabric | yes | yes | yes |
| Any | Vanilla | yes | yes | no |

Project Structure

nicknames-mod/
  common/    — shared code (NicknameStore, NicknameProtocol, NicknameEntry)
  forge/     — Forge 1.20.1 mod (client+server)
  fabric/    — Fabric 1.21.1 mod (client+server)
  bukkit/    — Bukkit/Paper/Purpur 1.21.1 plugin (server-only)

Installation

Forge (1.20.1)

Drop nicknames-mod-x.x.x.jar from forge/build/libs/ into the mods/ folder (server and optionally client).

Fabric (1.21.1)

Drop fabric-x.x.x.jar from fabric/build/libs/ into the mods/ folder. Requires Fabric API.

Bukkit/Paper/Purpur (1.21.1)

Drop nicknames-bukkit-x.x.x.jar from bukkit/build/libs/ into the plugins/ folder.

Building

./gradlew build

Build all modules at once, or target a specific one:

./gradlew :forge:build
./gradlew :fabric:build
./gradlew :bukkit:build

Requires Java 21.

License

MIT