How to Protect Your Minecraft Server from DDoS Attacks

How to Protect Your Minecraft Server from DDoS Attacks

Home/Blog/How to Protect Your Minecraft Server from DDoS Attacks

Published on February 26, 2025 by PineRiver·9 min read

What is a DDoS Attack and How Does it Affect a Minecraft Server?

DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) is an attack where malicious actors overwhelm a server with massive amounts of fake traffic. The purpose is to make the server inaccessible to normal users. For a Minecraft server, this typically means that legitimate players experience extreme lag, connection disruptions, or the server goes completely down. When a server is flooded with such fake traffic, it cannot handle the requests of real players, resulting in delays and downtime. In short: Your players cannot play, and the experience is ruined if your server is hit by a DDoS attack.

General Strategies to Protect Your Server

Securing your Minecraft server against DDoS attacks requires a combination of several measures. Here are some proven strategies:

Use a Strong Hosting Provider with DDoS Protection

Your first line of defense should be your choice of hosting provider. A good host will have built-in DDoS protection at the network level. This means that their infrastructure can automatically detect and filter harmful traffic before it hits your server. When choosing hosting, look for:

A strong provider with these features can often intercept an attack before it cripples your game server. Consider choosing reputable game server hosts or cloud providers that advertise DDoS protection as part of their package.

Network Protection: Proxies and Cloudflare

While a good host is important, you can achieve additional protection by hiding your server's identity behind a proxy or a service like Cloudflare. A proxy service acts as an intermediary: Players connect to the proxy's IP instead of your actual server IP. The proxy forwards legitimate connections to your server but filters out malicious traffic before it arrives.

Some popular solutions include:

In short, network protection helps hide your real server and filter traffic. Even if an attacker discovers your domain (e.g., play.minserver.dk), they will hit the proxy network first, not your actual machine.

Optimizing Server Settings and Configuration

You can also make your own server software and setup more resistant to attacks. While optimizations cannot stop a large DDoS attack alone, they can prevent even minor attacks or bot attempts from crashing your server. Here are some measures:

By optimizing these settings, you reduce your vulnerability. It makes it harder for attackers to succeed with small attacks, and your server will generally run more stable – which also benefits your players daily.

There are a number of tools and services that can specifically help protect Minecraft servers from DDoS. Here are some of the most popular and effective:

Remember that no single tool is a "silver bullet" against DDoS. The best protection is achieved by using multiple layers of defense – e.g., a good host and Cloudflare/TCPShield and proper server configuration.

Practical Steps to Reduce Vulnerability

As a server owner, you can take a number of concrete steps now to make your Minecraft server more resistant to DDoS attacks:

  1. Choose a Secure Hosting Solution: Make sure to host your server with a provider with proven DDoS protection. Avoid running a larger public server from home on a regular internet connection – it will be vulnerable.
  2. Hide the Server's IP Behind a Domain or Proxy: Always use a domain name for your server, and consider using Cloudflare Spectrum or a free proxy service like TCPShield. This makes it harder
  3. Set up firewall rules: Close all ports except those that absolutely need to be open (typically only the Minecraft port). Also, implement per-IP restrictions (rate-limiting) so that a single user cannot flood your server with connections.
  4. Install protective plugins: Add anti-bot/anti-spam plugins to the server that can filter out fake login attempts. Test them and adjust the settings so they don't unnecessarily bother legitimate players.
  5. Keep software updated: Always run the latest stable version of your server software and plugins. Updates often include performance improvements and security fixes that can help against both DDoS and other vulnerabilities.
  6. Monitor traffic: Use monitoring tools to keep an eye on your server in real-time. If you suddenly see an unusual spike in traffic or CPU load, it could be an early sign of an attack. A quick response – such as activating emergency procedures or contacting your host – can minimize the damage.

Conclusion

Protecting a Minecraft server against DDoS attacks requires a holistic approach. The combination of strong hosting, network/proxy protection, optimized server configuration, and continuous monitoring gives you the best chances of keeping the server online even during difficult attacks. No one can guarantee 100% protection against all attacks, but by following this guide's advice, you significantly reduce the risk. Your community will thank you for a stable and secure gaming experience, even when someone tries to disrupt it.

TL;DR: Be proactive – secure your server before it gets attacked. With the right tools and settings in place, you can enjoy running your Minecraft server with peace of mind, knowing that you have made it difficult for DDoS attackers to succeed.

Create Your Own ServerAre you ready to begin?

Start your server today and we'll give you a 25% discount on your first server. Use code NEW25 at checkout.