Our selection of 18 addons for a Garry's Mod server covers five roles: administration and data (ULX, AWarn3, bLogs, MySQLOO), protection (gProtect), scenery and building (PermaProps, 3D2D Textscreens, Wiremod, Advanced Duplicator 2, StormFox 2), combat and vehicles (ARC9, LVS, Photon 2) and immersion (PAC3, VManip, a consistent interface), plus two addons specific to DarkRP servers (DarkRP Modification, bWhitelist). Choose according to your budget, your team and your type of server. The deciding criterion isn't popularity but maintenance. Here is our selection, with each addon's status (free or paid) and prerequisites.
Key takeaways
- Our selection of 18 addons covers five roles. According to their listings, thirteen are not tied to DarkRP and five are: actual compatibility depends on the game mode, the dependencies and the Garry's Mod version.
- Only one addon per function: one administration tool, one prop protection, one weapon base, one vehicle base. Duplicates cause conflicts.
- Maintenance matters more than popularity: check the date of the last update and the prerequisites (libraries) before choosing an addon.
- Most addons are free. Four are paid on GmodStore (bLogs, bWhitelist, AWarn3 and gProtect), and the interface (F4, HUD, scoreboard) exists in both free and paid versions.
Administration and data
1. ULX and ULib: the reference administration tool
ULX is free. It requires the latest version of ULib, also free. ULib's Workshop page points to GitHub for the most recent versions and specifies that support goes through Discord, not the comments.
The paid alternative is SAM, whose listing states no prerequisites and describes a simple, lightweight tool. Pick only one: two administration modules in parallel create conflicts.
2. AWarn3: traceable sanctions
AWarn3 is a paid addon, sold on GmodStore, with no listed prerequisites. It adds a warning system with automatic punishments, Discord integration, ULX support and sixteen languages including French. The listing shows more than 3,800 purchases and announces version 2.2.
It becomes useful as soon as the staff has more than two moderators: a searchable history calms a lot of disputes about arbitrary sanctions.
3. bLogs: knowing who did what
Designed for DarkRP servers: the GmodStore listing categorizes it under "Administration" and "DarkRP".
bLogs (Billy's Logs) is a paid logging system, sold on GmodStore. When two players tell contradictory stories, the moderator opens the history and settles it. The listing shows more than 7,000 purchases and a French interface. Its prerequisites: GmodAdminSuite, Steam Guard (recommended) and a server whose incoming and outgoing HTTP requests work from Garry's Mod. It also uses a third-party DRM, which may require extra configuration after purchase.
4. MySQLOO: a real database
MySQLOO is a free native module (LGPL-2.1 license) that lets addons store their data in MySQL rather than locally; without it, DarkRP uses its built-in SQLite database. It comes in 32- and 64-bit versions for Windows and Linux. The latest published version is 9.7.6 (September 2022), but the repository received commits in September 2026.
Our take: on a small budget, start with the free addons: ULX and ULib for administration, MySQLOO if your addons store data in a database. The first purchase that really changes the staff's day-to-day is bLogs. AWarn3 comes next, depending on the size of your team.
Protection
5. gProtect: a single protection for props
Designed for DarkRP servers: the listing categorizes it under "VGUI", "Administration" and "DarkRP", and it replaces FPP, which is built into DarkRP. Its use on another game mode is not verified.
DarkRP already ships with Falco's Prop Protection (FPP), which is free. gProtect, paid on GmodStore, aims to replace FPP and APG with a unified system, and FPP must then be disabled on DarkRP. Its listing lists one prerequisite: slib ("slib - Stromic's Library", on the Workshop). Older notes also mentioned a Workshop content pack ("gProtect - Materials"): check the listing's knowledge base for your version.
Staying on FPP is a legitimate choice, but don't combine it with any other prop protection.
Scenery and building
6. PermaProps: scenery that survives a restart
PermaProps (free) saves props and entities on the map: the furnished police station, the barriers on the central square or the bank's NPCs stay in place after a restart or a map change. Several versions are around. Malboro's (PermaProps 4.0 on the Workshop) saves its data in the server's local database. maxverwiebe's variant (Workshop version) adds an administration menu, a blacklist of models and entities and MySQL storage, but its GitHub repository hasn't received a commit since October 2021. A third option, Advanced PermaProps, presents itself as compatible with DarkRP, Sandbox and all game modes: we haven't tested it.
Don't mix two versions and check compatibility with your prop protection: discussions on Malboro's Workshop page attribute "ghosted" props to an active prop protection.
7. 3D2D Textscreens: signs for shops
3D2D Textscreens is free and developed as open source on GitHub. It places 3D2D text in the world: shop names, rules, basic labels. The tool is found in the "Construction" menu, accepts up to five lines, several fonts, sizes and colors, and the Workshop page exceeds 1.2 million subscribers. Permanent textscreens are reserved for administrators, and the per-player limit is one by default (adjustable server-side).
8. Wiremod: mechanics for creative players
Wiremod (free, Apache-2.0 license) adds entities linked by wires, with which players build robots, vehicles or computers. The project offers a stable version and a Canary version. On a roleplay server, players turn them into keypad doors, vending machines or light panels.
Expression 2 lets players run code on the server: reserve it for trusted players and consult the Wiremod wiki for restriction options.
9. Advanced Duplicator 2: copying without rebuilding
Advanced Duplicator 2 (free, Apache-2.0 license, Workshop) is a fork of the old Advanced Duplicator, published in the Wiremod organization. It saves a build so you can paste it elsewhere: a base, a market stall or a complete Wiremod setup. The project wiki details the settings available server-side.
10. StormFox 2: weather and day-night cycle
StormFox 2 (free, author Nak) applies weather, lighting and effects to the map: day-night cycle, rain, fog, thunderstorms, wind, snow (rain and cold). It supports CAMI for most administration modules and Wiremod, Expression 2 included. It is the successor of StormFox, but it does not work with StormFox 1: its description states this.
For lighting, the description recommends a map that handles the light_environment entity. Without it, slowdowns appear when the light changes: disable the extra light setting or choose another map.
Combat and vehicles
11. ARC9: a base for customizable weapons
ARC9 (free, author Arctic) is a modern weapon base, successor to ArcCW, centered on customizing weapons with attachments. Weapons come from separate packs (for example Gunsmith Reloaded or the community's Escape from Tarkov packs) that require the ARC9 base, and sometimes a shared attachments addon: read each pack's prerequisites before subscribing.
Choose a single weapon base (ARC9, ArcCW or TFA) and add few packs: each pack adds content for connecting players to download.
12. LVS: a vehicle base
LVS (free, SpaxscE's lvs_base repository, last commit noted on July 27) is a vehicle base for Garry's Mod. Vehicles are supplied by separate addons: check that each pack is LVS-compatible and read its prerequisites.
Standardize on a single vehicle base: mixing several bases is a classic source of conflicts and lag. On DarkRP, purchasable vehicles are then declared in DarkRP Modification.
13. Photon 2: credible emergency vehicles
Photon 2 (free) adds emergency vehicle and vehicle lighting features to Garry's Mod. Its official documentation is at photon.lighting/docs. It is a distinct version from Photon 1: check that each vehicle pack really targets Photon 2.
Immersion and interface
14. PAC3: outfits and accessories
PAC3 (free, GPL-3.0 license, Workshop) lets you customize your avatar with accessories, models and effects. According to the PAC3 wiki, a player sees other players' outfits if they own the content used or if that content is hosted online.
On a public server, PAC3 must be restricted: the PAC in gamemodes page (last modified in 2021) documents free per-group restrictions, and PACTool (paid) restricts parts by player, group or DarkRP job and lets you monitor outfits.
15. VManip: first-person animations
VManip (Base) is free: it's a small client library for left-hand animations, with light leg support, in first-person view only. It only supports c_hands-type weapons, doesn't replace the gmod_hands entity and only contains the base code and a few models. Companion addons (contextual animations, manual pickup, sliding) require VManip. Reworked versions exist (a "Remix 2024" is reported by companion addons): compare before choosing.
16. F4, HUD and scoreboard: a consistent interface
The F4 menu is DarkRP's. The HUD and scoreboard depend on the addon you choose: check its listing.
DarkRP already ships with an F4 menu and a HUD. Free and paid solutions exist to replace them. On the free side: PIXEL F4 (GPL-3.0, requires PIXEL UI), aMenu (released for free, its author describes it as unmaintained and possibly unstable) and the Workshop collection of DarkRP HUDs and scoreboards, some under GPLv3. On the paid side: EMENU, presented as not open source, DRM-free and unobfuscated.
Features, licenses and compatibility vary from one addon to another: check them individually before combining several, and choose a single design family rather than three different styles.
For DarkRP servers
DarkRP is Garry's Mod's most common roleplay game mode, with its jobs, money and properties; the Facepunch documentation lists it among the officially documented game modes. The next two addons are only useful if your server runs DarkRP.
17. DarkRP Modification: configuring without touching the core
The DarkRP gamemode is downloaded from GitHub and the Workshop, and the repository repeats never to modify its base files. Everything goes through the DarkRP Modification addon, free and under the MIT license, which doesn't work without DarkRP. It brings together the settings, licensed weapons, jobs, entities, shipments, vehicles and translations, and your changes survive gamemode updates.
The DarkRP wiki details each file. It is the central configuration point of a DarkRP server: this is where jobs, entities and options are set.
18. bWhitelist: reserved jobs, no restart
On DarkRP, reserving a job for certain players goes through "customChecks", which require a restart for every change and don't handle donation systems. bWhitelist, paid on GmodStore and designed for DarkRP and StarWarsRP, replaces them: you add or remove access (whitelist or blacklist) live, including for donor jobs. Its prerequisites are the same as bLogs's: GmodAdminSuite, Steam Guard (recommended), working HTTP requests from Garry's Mod, and a third-party DRM. Other whitelist systems exist on GmodStore.
Where to start
You don't need to take everything. Here is the priority order we would follow to equip a full server: stop at the level that meets your needs.
- Administration: ULX and ULib (or SAM), then MySQLOO if your addons store data in a database.
- Staff: bLogs and AWarn3.
- Prop protection: FPP (built into DarkRP) or gProtect with slib.
- Scenery and building: PermaProps, 3D2D Textscreens, StormFox 2, then Wiremod and Advanced Duplicator 2.
- Weapons and vehicles: a weapon base with few packs, a vehicle base, then Photon 2.
- Immersion: PAC3 (restricted), VManip and the interface.
On a DarkRP server, start with DarkRP Modification, then add bWhitelist along with the staff addons.
Our advice:
- Start from the foundation and only add an addon if it meets a specific need of your players or your staff. Test it each time on a copy of the server, not on the public server.
- Back up your data (databases, PermaProps, logs) before every addon or Garry's Mod update.
- Respect the licenses: buy the paid addons and don't replace them with copies.
Looking for a GMod server to see these addons in action? Browse the ranking of Garry's Mod servers, or list yours to introduce it to a new community of players.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have to pay to equip a GMod server?
Not for most of the 18 addons, which are free: the paid ones sold on GmodStore are bLogs, bWhitelist, AWarn3 and gProtect, plus SAM if you prefer it to ULX, while the interface (F4, HUD, scoreboard) exists in both free and paid solutions whose license you should check. Free alternatives exist: ULX replaces SAM, and on DarkRP FPP (built in) replaces gProtect and "customChecks" replace bWhitelist, at the cost of a restart for every change.
Do you need all 18 addons?
No, our selection is a choice to make according to your budget, your team and your type of server. The starting foundation fits in a few addons: ULX and ULib for administration, a prop protection, PermaProps for scenery and, if you have a staff, bLogs and AWarn3, plus DarkRP Modification on a DarkRP server. The rest is added depending on the type of server, and each addon should meet a specific need.
ULX or SAM?
ULX is free and requires ULib; SAM is paid, its listing states no prerequisites and describes it as simple and lightweight. Both are capable, but pick only one, since two administration modules in parallel create conflicts.
Do these addons work on every game mode?
No universal guarantee exists: compatibility depends on the game mode, the dependencies (ULib, slib, GmodAdminSuite), the Garry's Mod version and the installed frameworks. According to their listings and repositories, thirteen addons in this selection are not presented as tied to DarkRP, three are only useful on DarkRP (DarkRP Modification, bWhitelist and DarkRP's F4 menu), and bLogs and gProtect are categorized as DarkRP by GmodStore. On another game mode, check the addon's listing and test on a copy of the server.
Can you use free copies of paid addons?
No: it violates their authors' license, and these copies are neither supported nor verified by them, so they may contain modified code that opens access to your server. Paid addons are found on GmodStore: buy them, or take a free alternative.
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