Minecart Protection Protocol (MPP)

Have you ever been unable to join a server even though it was supposedly online? Or maybe you were able to join but the connection was so unstable you couldn’t play? If your connection to other services (like websites or other servers) was stable, then the culprit was likely a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack.

DDoS Attacks: Goblins in the Tunnels

Our vast network of tunnels spans the globe, allowing anyone to access our taverns quickly, regardless of where they start. However, those tunnels are also home to a number of less-savory creatures. DDoS attacks are like goblins launching a bunch of rickety minecarts filled with junk onto our tracks simultaneously (likely hired by some petty elves). This results in derailments that delay or block your arrival and can prevent us from running the tavern smoothly.

In collaboration with the incredible gnomish tinkers over at Cloudflare, we’ve applied their state-of-the-art technology to prevent the vast majority of malicious minecart mayhem (and made some other upgrades while we were at it).

Clockwork Checkpoints: Advanced DDoS Protection

The tinkers at Cloudflare are consistently recognized for offering some of the best automated security and network protection available. Now AleForge is leveraging their Clockwork Checkpoints to ensure the right minecarts get where they’re going, even when the goblins launch their attacks.

With over 330 of these checkpoints (Points of Presence) scattered throughout the tunnels, their technology can prevent a staggering 348 Tbps of attacks (that’s like filtering 348,000 tons of goblin junk every second). And that happens without ever delaying your travel. We’ve leveraged some of their tech to prevent meaningless minecart meandering.

Sterling Switches and Suspension: Latency Optimization

Internet (or minecart) routing is a complicated beast, and often, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) will purchase the cheapest transit possible (probably an elvish cheapskate). This results in higher ping to your favorite services, dropped connections, or worse, the inability to access some services altogether.

But now, we’ve implemented enchanted sterling switches (Cloudflare Argo routing) that automatically route you around congested tunnels and rickety rails, resulting in 10-30% faster routes (in one case, dropping latency from 98ms to 69ms). Combined with our upgraded sterling suspension, you get a swift and smooth ride to our taverns every time—even in regions with poor connectivity, like Asia Pacific.

How Does This Compare to Other DDoS Solutions

| MPP| TCP Shield| NeoProtect| Cosmic Guard
---|---|---|---|---
Points of Presence| 330+| 14| 13| 5
Countries| 120+| 10| 9| 3
Filtering Capacity| 348 Tbps| 16 Tbps| 50 Tbps| 1 Tbps
Supported Games| All Games| Minecraft| Minecraft| All Games
Mitigation Time| 10-30ms| Unlisted| Configurable| 1 Second
Smart Routing| Yes (Latency Lasso)| No| No| No
Starting Paid Price| Included in All Game Server Plans| $25/mo| 15 €/mo| Billed per Connected Player

All information in the table was collected from the company’s sales page in February 2025.

Term Definitions

• DDoS: Distributed Denial of Service
• Point of Presence (POP): Edge locations close to you where your traffic will enter the protected network
• Filtering Capacity: The maximum amount of a volumetric attack that the protection can block
• Mitigation Time: The time it takes for the protection to block a malicious attack