Why is DDoS protection essential for your Minecraft server?

"DDoS protection" is a term commonly thrown around by hosting providers, without any substantial justification as to why theirs is better than the competition.

But as a Minecraft server owner, you can't afford the possibility of server downtime. It's not just about the lost gaming time; it's about the disruption to your community, the potential loss of players, and the headache of trying to identify and fix the problem. One major cause of server downtime is DDoS attacks. But what exactly is a DDoS attack, and why is DDoS protection so crucial for your Minecraft server?

Understanding DDoS attacks

DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service. It's a type of cyber attack where multiple compromised computers are used to flood your server with traffic, causing it to slow down or crash. Imagine a crowded highway where all lanes are blocked by a horde of zombies (yes, we're keeping it Minecraft-themed here), causing a massive traffic jam. That's essentially what a DDoS attack does to your server.

It can cause server downtime, disrupting gameplay for your community, due to the server being unable to cope with the large amount of traffic being directed at it. It's like trying to build a house while being constantly bombarded by creepers. Not fun.

Repeated attacks can frustrate players and cause them to leave, reducing player retention affecting the growth and sustainability of your server. If your server is constantly down, players may start questioning your abilities to maintain a stable gaming environment.

But why is DDoS protection essential?

Now that we've painted a rather grim picture, let's talk about why DDoS protection is essential for your Minecraft server. DDoS protection acts like a shield, fending off those zombie hordes before they can reach your server. It ensures that your server remains up and running, providing a smooth and enjoyable gaming experience for your players, unaffected by latency issues or downtime that can be caused by these attacks.

With other providers, inadequate DDoS protection can lead to your server being "null-routed", meaning your server is disconnected from the internet and players are unable to join whenever there's an attack.

With Lilypad, on the other hand, you get the best DDoS protection on the market, ensuring your server remains online and accessible to your players, no matter the size or type of attack.

Specifically, our protection works well against attacks that are both:

• large in size (a.k.a. volumetric attacks) which aim to saturate your server's bandwidth, and
• application-targeted (a.k.a. Layer 7 attacks) which aim to exploit vulnerabilities in your server's software, or exhaust its resources like the CPU/RAM you're paying for

This is possible through analysing and filtering through the traffic that's trying to reach your server. If our systems detect traffic matching the characteristics of a DDoS attack, it's automatically vacuumed up and channeled into a network designed to absorb the traffic and ensure it doesn't hit your server — while at the same time allowing legitimate traffic to reach your server.

Choosing the right DDoS protection

Not all DDoS protection services offer the same level of protection. When choosing one, consider the following:

Look for a service that offers comprehensive protection against all types and sizes of DDoS attacks. You want the best protection you can get, and a service not offering protection specific to the game being hosted isn't going to cut it when you're running a server at significant risk to attack.

Ensure the service has a proven track record of protecting Minecraft servers. Lilypad has been protecting large Minecraft servers for years, and we've seen it all.

Consider the cost. While DDoS protection is an essential investment, you want to make sure you're getting good value for your money. Luckily, we offer it included with all our plans at no extra cost. We believe you shouldn't have to pay extra for something that's critical to your server's stability.

Remember, just like in Minecraft, preparation and protection are key in the world of server hosting. Equip your server with DDoS protection, and keep those zombies at bay.

Lilypad is a game server hosting provider offering the best DDoS protection on the market, ensuring your server remains online and accessible to your players, no matter the size or type of attack. Take a look at our plans or get in touch to learn more about what we can offer.