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Essential Mod provides a comprehensive API that gives mod developers access to a suite of powerful tools, utilities, and integrations for enhancing their Minecraft mods.

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What is Essential API?

The Essential API is the public interface to Essential’s development tools, offering everything from command registration and notifications to GUI utilities and Mojang API integration. The API is designed to be easy to use while providing powerful functionality.

Commands

Register custom commands with powerful argument parsing and type safety

Notifications

Display beautiful, non-intrusive notifications to users

GUI Utilities

Screen management, GUI scaling, and Elementa component factories

Minecraft Utils

Common utilities for chat, server detection, and resource handling

Mojang API

Easy access to UUID lookups, profile data, and skin management

Config Access

Read Essential’s user settings to adapt your mod’s behavior

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Core Interface

All API functionality is accessed through the EssentialAPI interface, which serves as the central entry point: 
package gg.essential.api

interface EssentialAPI {
    fun commandRegistry(): CommandRegistry
    fun di(): DI
    fun notifications(): Notifications
    fun config(): EssentialConfig
    fun guiUtil(): GuiUtil
    fun minecraftUtil(): MinecraftUtils
    fun shutdownHookUtil(): ShutdownHookUtil
    fun imageCache(): ImageCache
    fun trustedHostsUtil(): TrustedHostsUtil
    fun componentFactory(): EssentialComponentFactory
    fun mojangAPI(): MojangAPI
    fun onboardingData(): OnboardingData
}

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Access Methods

Essential provides two ways to access the API:

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Static Access

The simplest way to access the API is through static methods: 
import gg.essential.api.EssentialAPI

// Get the API instance
val api = EssentialAPI.getInstance()

// Or use direct getters
val notifications = EssentialAPI.getNotifications()
val commandRegistry = EssentialAPI.getCommandRegistry()
val guiUtil = EssentialAPI.getGuiUtil()

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Dependency Injection

Essential uses Kodein DI for dependency injection. You can retrieve API instances using the get() function: 
import gg.essential.api.utils.get
import gg.essential.api.gui.Notifications
import gg.essential.api.commands.CommandRegistry

// Get instances via DI
val notifications = get<Notifications>()
val commandRegistry = get<CommandRegistry>()
val minecraftUtils = get<MinecraftUtils>()
Dependency injection is only available in Kotlin. Java developers should use the static access methods.

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Key Features

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Commands

Register custom commands with automatic argument parsing, tab completion, and type safety. Essential’s command system handles the complexity of parsing user input. 
val commandRegistry = EssentialAPI.getCommandRegistry()
commandRegistry.registerCommand(MyCommand())

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Notifications

Display elegant notifications in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Notifications can include actions, custom durations, and callbacks. 
val notifications = EssentialAPI.getNotifications()
notifications.push("Title", "Message")

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GUI Utilities

Manage screen navigation, get GUI scale information, and create Essential-styled components using Elementa. 
val guiUtil = EssentialAPI.getGuiUtil()
guiUtil.openScreen(MyCustomScreen())

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Minecraft Utilities

Common helper functions for sending chat messages, detecting servers (like Hypixel), loading resources, and more. 
val minecraftUtil = EssentialAPI.getMinecraftUtil()
minecraftUtil.sendMessage("Hello, player!")
val isHypixel = minecraftUtil.isHypixel()

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Mojang API Integration

Simple interface to the Mojang API for UUID/username lookups, profile data, and skin changes. 
val mojangAPI = EssentialAPI.getMojangAPI()
val uuid = mojangAPI.getUUID("Notch")?.get()

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Configuration Access

Read Essential’s user settings to adapt your mod’s behavior based on user preferences. 
val config = EssentialAPI.getConfig()
if (config.disableAllNotifications) {
    // Don't send notifications
}

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API Modules

The Essential API is organized into focused modules:
  • Commands - Command registration, argument parsing, and custom type handlers
  • GUI - Notifications, screen management, Essential components, and Elementa integration
  • Utils - Minecraft helpers, GUI utilities, multithreading, web requests, and shutdown hooks
  • Config - Access to Essential’s configuration options
  • Cosmetics - Cosmetic rendering integration
  • Data - User onboarding and TOS status
  • Profile - Game profile wrappers
  • DI - Dependency injection framework access

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Next Steps

Setup

Set up your project to use the Essential API

Commands

Learn how to register and use commands

Notifications

Display notifications to users

GUI Development

Build user interfaces with Essential

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