AntiJoinBot — Automatic Bot & Proxy Protection for Minecraft
Every Minecraft server administrator knows the frustration. You log in to check your player count, and instead of your regular community, you find a swarm of automated accounts. These bots slip in through proxy networks, spam the chat with advertisements, eat up CPU cycles, and generally ruin the experience for everyone who plays honestly. Manually banning IP addresses is a thankless, time-consuming chore, and whitelists are simply not practical for public servers that want to welcome new players.
This is exactly where AntiJoinBot — Automatic Bot & Proxy Protection for Minecraft steps in. It acts as a smart firewall for your server, filtering out suspicious connections before they can do any damage. It is a fresh approach to an old problem, and it is designed to work quietly in the background so your legitimate players never even notice it is there.
What Makes This Plugin Different?
AntiJoinBot is a Bukkit plugin, which means it runs smoothly on Bukkit cores and its popular forks like Spigot and Paper. The core idea is simple but powerful: every time a player tries to join, the plugin checks their IP address against a range of public proxy and VPN databases. If the address shows up on any blacklist, the connection is terminated instantly with a custom message you can set yourself.
The beauty of this system is that the check happens at the moment of connection. There is no need to enable a whitelist, no extra steps for your regular players, and no noticeable lag. It just works, silently and efficiently, to keep the server's online list clean and honest.
Key Features That Stand Out
This plugin is packed with practical features that make server administration easier. Here are the highlights:
- UUID and nickname support — it functions correctly even in offline mode, which is a huge plus for many server setups.
- Configurable startup delay — you can set a delay for checks to begin, reducing server load during the initial boot phase.
- SQLite or MySQL storage — data is stored efficiently, allowing for fast processing even with thousands of records.
- Automatic blacklist updates — the plugin pulls fresh blacklists from multiple APIs when the server starts, keeping your protection current.
- Custom kick messages — you can personalize the message players see when they are blocked, and even force a full verification of all current players if needed.
- Beta proxy-checking features — there are experimental tools that check proxies directly from the server list and can even change the MOTD when a bot is detected.
This combination of features makes AntiJoinBot — Automatic Bot & Proxy Protection for Minecraft for Minecraft a comprehensive solution that goes beyond simple IP banning.
Getting Started: Installation and Setup
Getting the plugin up and running is refreshingly simple. To download AntiJoinBot — Automatic Bot & Proxy Protection for Minecraft, you just grab the JAR file and drop it into your server's plugins folder. After a restart, the plugin automatically creates its own directory with a config.yml file and a database file. Even with the default settings, the plugin starts blocking proxies immediately, using trusted public APIs like shroomery.org and stopforumspam.com.
If you want to fine-tune things, open the config file and add your own blacklist sources in the "URL:Response" format. The plugin will query each source in sequence, and if any one of them flags an IP as a proxy, that player is blocked. This multi-layered approach minimizes both false positives and missed connections.
For those who enjoy experimenting with different mod setups, using a launcher that supports quick profile switching can be handy. It allows you to test how your server with AntiJoinBot interacts with various client-side modifications without hassle.
Commands and Permissions
Managing the plugin is straightforward, whether you prefer using the console or in-game chat. Each command has a corresponding permission that you can assign through any permissions manager plugin:
/ajb toggle— quickly enable or disable bot checks (permission:ajb.toggle)./ajb reload— reload the configuration and reconnect to the database (permission:ajb.reload)./ajb add— add a player to the whitelist so checks do not apply to them (permission:ajb.add)./ajb block— force-block a specific player by name or UUID (permission:ajb.add).
Players with the ajb.bypass permission are completely exempt from all proxy checks. This is perfect for admins and moderators who might connect from various addresses. There is also a force-check mode: when activated, all current players are kicked and must rejoin to pass verification. This is an excellent way to purge any bots that may have slipped through before the plugin was installed.
Blacklists and Data Sources
The effectiveness of this protection depends on how current the proxy databases are. By default, the plugin uses several vetted APIs, but you are free to add your own. The only requirement is that the service returns responses in the expected format. You can specify multiple URLs in the config, and the plugin will query them one by one. If even a single source identifies an IP as a proxy, that connection is blocked. This tiered approach ensures comprehensive coverage.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Occasionally, after installation, the plugin might have trouble reaching external APIs. This is usually due to temporary blocks from your internet service provider or restrictions imposed by your hosting company. The developer recommends waiting 24 hours and trying again, or restarting your router if you are hosting from a home machine. Enabling debug mode in the config can help you pinpoint exactly where the issue occurs. Also, make sure your firewall is not blocking outbound HTTP requests, as the plugin relies on these to fetch blacklists.
Final Thoughts
AntiJoinBot — Automatic Bot & Proxy Protection for Minecraft is an indispensable tool for any server administrator who wants to keep their community safe from automated attacks without adding complexity to their workflow. The installation is quick, the blacklist configuration is flexible, and the resource footprint is minimal. Automatic proxy filtering at the connection stage preserves the spirit of fair play and saves moderators countless hours of manual work. If you are tired of seeing your online list flooded with fake accounts, give this plugin a try. The difference in your server's atmosphere will be noticeable from the very first day. And when you are ready to set it up, the process for how to install is straightforward: just place the file in the plugins folder, restart, and let it do its job.