Give a friend access to your server
Published on 5 October 2026
Want a friend to help run your server, for example restarting it or adding plugins? Add them as a subuser under Users in the game panel. They log in with their own account and can only do what you tick. Nobody needs your password.
What can a subuser do?
Only what you give them. Every subuser can watch the console and the live stats; everything else you switch on permission by permission. Of your servers, they only see the ones you add them to. They don’t get into My CakeHosting, with your invoices and services.
How do you invite a friend?
- Open your server in the game panel and go to Users, under the Actions heading.
- Click New User. The Create new subuser window opens.
- Enter your friend’s email address under User Email.
- Tick the permissions they need. Each permission says what it does, and the box next to a group’s name switches on the whole group.
- Click Invite User.
Your friend gets an email. If they don’t have a game panel account yet, it contains a link to choose a password. They then log in at https://game.cakehosting.net and your server is in their list. Under Users you see them as a card, with the number of permissions and, under 2FA Status, whether they use two-factor authentication.
Which permissions do you choose?
Don’t give more than needed. These are the permissions for the most common tasks:
| What can your friend do? | Group | Tick |
|---|---|---|
| Start, stop and restart the server | control | start, stop, restart |
| Commands in the console | control | console |
| View and edit files | file | read, read-content, update |
| Install plugins, mods and modpacks | file | create |
| Log in over SFTP | file | sftp, plus the permissions above |
| Make backups | backup | create, read |
Be careful with restore and download in the backup group: the game panel itself flags them as dangerous, because they let someone overwrite or take all your files. The same goes for reinstall in the settings group and for the user group, which lets your friend invite others.
How do you change permissions or revoke access?
Click the pencil next to your friend (Edit User), change the permissions and click Save. To remove them, click the bin (Delete User) and confirm with Yes, remove subuser. They lose access to your server straight away.
What are the common mistakes?
- Sharing your own password anyway. Whoever has it can get into your whole account and all your servers. A subuser can’t.
- Ticking everything. Start small and add more later if needed.
- A typo in the email address. The invitation then goes nowhere. Delete the subuser and invite them again.
Ask your co-admins to switch on two-factor authentication too. More tips on keeping your server safe are in How to protect your Minecraft server from griefers, and the game panel basics in First steps after your order.
