What DDoS protection does and doesn't cover
What a DDoS is, what protection actually stops, and what it can't do for you.
A lot of hosts put "DDoS protection" in big letters without saying what it means. Here's the plain version.
What a DDoS is
A Distributed Denial of Service attack floods a server's connection with junk traffic from lots of machines at once. The server isn't hacked. It's buried. Real players can't get through, so they lag out or can't connect.
On game servers this usually comes from someone who got banned, lost a fight, or just wants to ruin someone's evening.
What protection does
DDoS protection sits in front of the server and filters traffic before it arrives. Junk gets dropped, real player traffic gets through.
On Zappy, Minecraft Java traffic is covered. That includes Vanilla, Paper, and Fabric servers.
What it doesn't do
- It doesn't stop everything. Every protection setup has limits. A big enough or clever enough attack can still cause trouble. Anyone who says "100% protected" is selling you something.
- It doesn't protect your home connection. If someone attacks your IP, server protection doesn't help. Don't share your home IP, and be careful with voice apps and links that reveal it.
- It doesn't fix griefing. That's what whitelists and backups are for. See Whitelists, admins, and keeping strangers off.
- It doesn't stop lag from the server itself. Most "lag" isn't an attack at all. See Why servers lag.
- It only covers what's listed above. If a game or traffic type isn't named here, don't assume it's covered. Ask us first.
Making yourself a smaller target
- Run a whitelist so strangers can't join.
- Keep your server address within your group.
- Don't publish your server in public lists unless you want public players.
If you think you're under attack
Tell us on Discord or open a ticket, with the time it started. A real engineer will check what's hitting your server.