Database Setup Guide

Many Minecraft plugins require a MySQL database to store data persistently. This guide shows you how to create and manage databases on your Birdflop server.

What is a MySQL Database?

A MySQL database is a structured data storage system that plugins use to:

Store player data persistently
Share data between multiple servers
Keep data safe from server crashes
Enable advanced features like leaderboards

Databases are particularly useful for network setups where multiple servers need to share player data.

Common Plugins that Use Databases

Economy Plugins

Vault (with economy plugins)
EssentialsX (optional)
PlayerPoints

Permission Plugins

LuckPerms (recommended)
PermissionsEx
GroupManager

Protection Plugins

CoreProtect
GriefPrevention
Lands

Other Popular Plugins

Plan (analytics)
AdvancedBan
Jobs Reborn
mcMMO

Creating a Database

Navigate to Databases Tab

Create New Database

Click the Create Database button.You’ll see:

Database Name: Auto-generated (e.g., s12_database_name)
Connections From: Set to % (allow all)

The s12_ prefix is your server identifier and is automatically added.

Enter Database Name

Type a descriptive name for your database:Examples:

luckperms - for LuckPerms plugin
coreprotect - for CoreProtect plugin
maindata - for general server data

Use only letters, numbers, and underscores. No spaces or special characters.

Create Database

Click Create Database.The database will be created instantly and appear in your list.

Database Information

After creating a database, you’ll see important connection details:

Connection Details

Field	Description	Example
Endpoint	Database server address	`db.birdflop.com:3306`
Database Name	Full database name	`s12_luckperms`
Username	Database username	`s12_dbuser`
Password	Database password	Click eye icon to view
JDBC Connection String	Complete connection URL	`jdbc:mysql://...`

Click the eye icon to reveal the password. Click again to hide it.

Copying Connection Details

Click any field to copy it to your clipboard:

Click the Endpoint field to copy the address
Click the Database Name to copy the full name
Click the Password field to copy the password

Configuring Plugins

Most plugins have a configuration file where you enter database details.

LuckPerms Example

LuckPerms is a popular permissions plugin that benefits greatly from MySQL.

Create Database

Create a database named luckperms following the steps above.

Stop Your Server

Stop your server to safely edit configuration files.

Edit Configuration

Navigate to /plugins/LuckPerms/config.yml and find the storage section:

storage-method: mysql

data:
  address: db.birdflop.com:3306
  database: s12_luckperms
  username: s12_dbuser
  password: 'your_password_here'
  
  pool-settings:
    maximum-pool-size: 10
    minimum-idle: 10
    maximum-lifetime: 1800000
    keepalive-time: 0
    connection-timeout: 5000

Replace the placeholders with your actual database details from the panel.

Save and Start

Save the configuration file
Start your server
Check console for successful database connection

You should see:

[LuckPerms] Connected to MySQL database

Always wrap the password in single quotes ('password') to handle special characters correctly.

CoreProtect Example

CoreProtect is a block logging and rollback plugin.

Configuration
Why Use MySQL?

Edit /plugins/CoreProtect/config.yml:

use-mysql: true
table-prefix: co_
mysql-host: db.birdflop.com
mysql-port: 3306
mysql-database: s12_coreprotect
mysql-username: s12_dbuser
mysql-password: your_password_here

Replace with your actual database details.

General Plugin Configuration

Most plugins follow a similar pattern:

# Common database configuration format
database:
  type: mysql
  host: db.birdflop.com
  port: 3306
  database: s12_yourplugin
  username: s12_dbuser
  password: 'your_password_here'
  
# Alternative format (some plugins)
db:
  mysql:
    enabled: true
    address: db.birdflop.com:3306
    db-name: s12_yourplugin
    user: s12_dbuser
    pass: 'your_password_here'

Always check the plugin’s documentation for the exact configuration format required.

Managing Databases

Viewing Database Contents

You can connect to your database using external tools:

MySQL Workbench
phpMyAdmin
Command Line

MySQL Workbench is a free GUI tool for managing databases.

Download from mysql.com/products/workbench
Open MySQL Workbench
Click + to create a new connection
Enter your connection details:
- Connection Name: Birdflop Server
- Hostname: db.birdflop.com
- Port: 3306
- Username: Your database username
- Password: Click “Store in Keychain” and enter password
Click Test Connection
Click OK to save

You can now browse tables, run queries, and manage data.

Connect via MySQL CLI:

mysql -h db.birdflop.com -P 3306 -u s12_dbuser -p s12_luckperms

Enter your password when prompted.

The MySQL CLI is useful for advanced users who want to run queries directly.

Deleting Databases

Deleting a database is permanent and cannot be undone. All data will be lost.

Backup Data (Recommended)

Export the database using MySQL Workbench or create a server backup first.

Navigate to Databases

Go to the Databases tab in your panel.

Delete Database

Click the trash icon next to the database you want to delete.

Confirm Deletion

Confirm that you want to permanently delete the database.

Rotating Passwords

If you need to change your database password:

Delete Old Database

Delete the existing database (backup first!).

Create New Database

Create a new database with the same name.A new password will be automatically generated.

Update Plugin Configs

Update all plugin configuration files with the new password.

There’s currently no way to rotate passwords without recreating the database.

Database Limits

Default Limits

Maximum Databases: 3 per server
Database Size: No hard limit, but monitored for abuse
Connections: Up to 10 simultaneous connections per database

If you need more than 3 databases, contact support to discuss your use case.

Performance Considerations

Connection Pooling

Plugins should use connection pooling to reuse connections rather than creating new ones for every query.Most modern plugins handle this automatically.

Query Optimization

Poorly optimized queries can slow down your server.Monitor slow queries and optimize plugin configurations.

Troubleshooting

Plugin can't connect to database

Common causes:

Wrong credentials: Double-check host, database name, username, and password
Typos in config: Verify spelling and formatting
Missing quotes: Wrap password in single quotes
Wrong port: Should be 3306
Plugin not started: Check if plugin loaded successfully

Check console for errors:

[PluginName] Failed to connect to database
[PluginName] Access denied for user
[PluginName] Unknown database

These messages indicate the specific issue.

Data not saving to database

Troubleshooting steps:

Verify plugin is using MySQL (check config)
Check console for database errors
Test connection with MySQL Workbench
Verify tables were created (check with Workbench)
Check plugin permissions and settings

Some plugins require a server restart after enabling MySQL for changes to take effect.

Connection pool errors

If you see errors about connection pool exhaustion:

[PluginName] Cannot get connection from pool
[PluginName] Connection pool timeout

Solutions:

Increase maximum-pool-size in plugin config
Reduce connection-timeout if set too high
Check for slow queries causing connections to hang
Restart the plugin to reset connections

Connection pool issues usually indicate a plugin configuration problem or very slow queries.

Database is full or slow

Optimization steps:

Check database size using MySQL Workbench
Remove old data: Many plugins have cleanup commands
Optimize tables: Run OPTIMIZE TABLE on large tables
Review indexes: Ensure proper indexes exist
Purge logs: Plugins like CoreProtect can purge old logs

Example CoreProtect purge:

/co purge t:30d

This removes data older than 30 days.

Multi-Server Setups

Databases are especially powerful for networks with multiple servers:

Shared Permission System

Create Central Database

Create one LuckPerms database on your main server.

Configure All Servers

Configure LuckPerms on every server to use the same database.All servers will share permissions, groups, and user data.

Set Server Names

Configure each server with a unique name:

server: lobby

This allows per-server permissions while sharing the database.

With a shared database, changes made on one server instantly apply to all servers in your network.

Shared Economy System

Use a single database for economy plugins to share balances:

# Configure on all servers
database:
  type: mysql
  host: db.birdflop.com
  database: s12_economy
  username: s12_dbuser
  password: 'your_password'

Players keep their balance when moving between servers.

Best Practices

Backup Regularly

Export database backups regularly using MySQL Workbench or automated scripts.

Monitor Size

Check database size periodically and purge old data when needed.

Use Strong Passwords

Database passwords are auto-generated and secure. Never share them publicly.

Document Setup

Keep notes on which plugins use which databases for easier troubleshooting.

Advanced Topics

JDBC Connection Strings

Some plugins require a JDBC connection string instead of individual fields:

jdbc:mysql://db.birdflop.com:3306/s12_luckperms?useSSL=false&useUnicode=true&characterEncoding=utf8

The panel provides this pre-formatted in the database details.

SSL Connections

SSL is not required for database connections as they occur within Birdflop’s internal network.

If a plugin requires SSL, you can typically disable it:

useSSL: false
# or in JDBC
?useSSL=false

Character Encoding

Always use UTF-8 encoding for proper handling of special characters:

characterEncoding: utf8
useUnicode: true

Most plugins default to UTF-8 automatically.

Getting Help

Need Database Help?

Join our Discord community for assistance with:

Database connection issues
Plugin configuration help
Performance optimization
Multi-server setup guidance

When asking for help, include:

Plugin name and version
Relevant config sections
Console errors (if any)
What you’ve already tried

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​Database Setup Guide

​What is a MySQL Database?

​Common Plugins that Use Databases

Economy Plugins

Permission Plugins

Protection Plugins

Other Popular Plugins

​Creating a Database

​Database Information

​Connection Details

​Copying Connection Details

​Configuring Plugins

​LuckPerms Example

​CoreProtect Example

​General Plugin Configuration

​Managing Databases

​Viewing Database Contents

​Deleting Databases

​Rotating Passwords

​Database Limits

​Default Limits

​Performance Considerations

Connection Pooling

Query Optimization

​Troubleshooting

​Multi-Server Setups

​Shared Permission System

​Shared Economy System

​Best Practices

Backup Regularly

Monitor Size

Use Strong Passwords

Document Setup

​Advanced Topics

​JDBC Connection Strings

​SSL Connections

​Character Encoding

​Getting Help

Need Database Help?

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Database Setup Guide

What is a MySQL Database?

Common Plugins that Use Databases

Creating a Database

Database Information

Connection Details

Copying Connection Details

Configuring Plugins

LuckPerms Example

CoreProtect Example

General Plugin Configuration

Managing Databases

Viewing Database Contents

Deleting Databases

Rotating Passwords

Database Limits

Default Limits

Performance Considerations

Troubleshooting

Multi-Server Setups

Shared Permission System

Shared Economy System

Best Practices

Advanced Topics

JDBC Connection Strings

SSL Connections

Character Encoding

Getting Help