Installation & Setup

Eranio

Installation & Setup

Complete step-by-step guide to installing both the Pelican Panel plugin and the Hytale server-side Java mod, configuring the API connection, and verifying everything works.

Prerequisites

• Pelican Panel version 1.0.0-rc.1+ installed and running
• PHP 8.5 on the Panel server
• A Hytale game server managed by the Panel
• Network access from the Panel server to the Hytale server on port 5550 (default)
• storage/ and bootstrap/cache/ writable (permissions 0755, owner: web server user)

Step 1: Install the Panel Plugin

1. Download the latest hytale-admin plugin release
2. Place it in your Pelican Panel's plugins/ directory:

   /var/www/pelican/plugins/hytale-admin/
   

3. Verify the directory structure:

   plugins/hytale-admin/
   ├── src/
   ├── config/
   ├── resources/
   └── plugin.json
   

4. Clear the application cache:

   php artisan cache:clear
   php artisan config:clear
   php artisan view:clear
   

5. Verify the plugin appears under Admin Panel → Plugins as "Hytale Admin Panel"

Step 2: Configure the Egg

The plugin uses the hytale-admin feature flag to determine which servers show the admin panel.

1. Go to Admin Panel → Eggs
2. Edit your Hytale server Egg (e.g., "Hytale Server")
3. Add hytale-admin to the Features field:

   ["hytale-admin"]
   

   If the Egg already has features:

   ["steam_disk_space", "hytale-admin"]
   

4. Click Save

Important: The feature flag must be exactly hytale-admin (lowercase, hyphenated). Variations like HytaleAdmin or hytale_admin will not work.

Step 3: Install the Java Mod on the Server

The Java mod is the server-side component that exposes the REST API.

1. Navigate to your server → Hytale Admin in the sidebar
2. Go to the Setup tab
3. Click Install Mod, the plugin uploads the bundled JAR from resources/mod/ to the server's mods/ directory
4. Success notification: "Admin mod installed successfully"
5. Restart the Hytale server for the mod to load

Integrity Verification

The plugin checks the mod with an RSA-2048 signature and a SHA-256 checksum:

The check runs automatically whenever the setup page is opened, there is no button for it. The page shows "Integrity Verified" or "Integrity check FAILED, the JAR file has been modified!", then reinstall the mod. When it fails, the dashboard warns as well.

New mod versions

The plugin also detects new versions of the Java mod when the plugin itself has not been updated: it checks eranio.de every hour (actually at most every 6 hours), downloads a newer version and only accepts it if checksum and signature match. Afterwards the dashboard and the Setup tab show "Update available".

A new version is never installed automatically, only when you click Update Mod in the Setup tab yourself. It takes effect after the next server restart. To check right away, run php artisan hytale-admin:update-mod on the panel server. Downloading can be turned off with HYTALE_ADMIN_MOD_AUTO_DOWNLOAD=false in the panel's .env.

Step 4: Configure the API Connection

After the Java mod starts for the first time, it generates a configuration file at:

mods/Eranio_HytaleAdminAPI/config.json

Configuration Reference

The plugin reads this configuration automatically through Pelican's file interface. Nothing has to be entered by hand, values can be changed on the setup page under Edit Settings (see step 6).

Security Note: The token is auto-generated and should be kept secret. It authenticates all API requests. If compromised, stop the server, change the token in config.json, and restart.

Step 5: First Launch

1. Ensure the Hytale server is running with the Java mod loaded
2. Navigate to your server → click Hytale Admin in the sidebar
3. The plugin connects to the Java mod API and displays:
   • Dashboard with server status (players, TPS, uptime)
   • A menu with all pages, on phones as a bar at the bottom or a dropdown
4. If connection fails, you'll see "Hytale API error" in logs

Connection Troubleshooting

Step 6: Settings

The setup page shows the mod version, integrity, API connection (Connected or Not Connected) and all settings from the mod's config.json. Edit Settings opens a dialog and writes the values back to that file:

Success: "Settings saved successfully". Port and token take effect after a server restart.

Demo Mode

Enable Demo Mode shows simulated data on every page, actions are only pretended. It stays on until it is switched off here again. See Dashboard, section Demo Mode.

Uninstalling the Mod

1. Go to Setup tab → click Uninstall Mod
2. The JAR is deleted from the server's mods/ directory
3. Success: "Admin mod uninstalled"
4. Restart the server
5. The panel plugin can remain installed but will show connection errors without the mod

Verification Checklist

Permission System

The plugin uses 17 granular permissions to control access. See the dedicated Permissions guide for the full reference. By default, server owners have all permissions.