DDoS protection that understands your server.
Glitch Guard is a UK DDoS protection service that filters attacks packet by packet. Multi-terabit volumetric mitigation on every service, plus XDP filtering that knows what your game server, VPS or dedicated box actually runs.
| Port | Proto | Filter |
|---|---|---|
| 25565 | TCP | Minecraft Java |
| 19132 | UDP | RakNet |
| 27015 | UDP | Steam query + game |
| 51820 | UDP | WireGuard |
Illustrative preview. Not live data.
What is a DDoS protection service?
A DDoS protection service sits in front of your server and separates real users from attack traffic. A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack floods your connection, your CPU or your application with junk so genuine visitors and players cannot get through.
Most providers stop at a network-wide blunt filter, or null-route your IP when an attack gets big. Glitch Guard works per packet and per IP, so it can drop the attack and keep your server online.
- Stops volumetric floods, UDP amplification, SYN floods and fragment attacks
- Validates game and VPN protocols instead of just rate limiting
- Never filters or rate-limits your outbound traffic
- Fails open, so protection can never become the outage
Three layers of DDoS mitigation.
Every attack meets the same defence in depth, from raw bandwidth floods right down to a single malformed game packet.
Always-on mitigation
Inline on Tier 1 transit with a GTT backbone and Corero SmartWall. Attacks are detected and mitigated in under a second, without null-routing or redirecting your traffic.
Packet-level filtering
Built on XDP (eXpress Data Path), Glitch Guard drops packets in the network driver. Each port is checked against its expected protocol, so unexpected traffic never reaches your server.
Connection protection
A SYN proxy completes TCP handshakes, out-of-state packets are discarded and new connections per source are limited, without touching established sessions.
Anti-DDoS filters built for real workloads.
Not one-size-fits-all rate limits. Glitch Guard layers generic network filters with validators that understand specific protocols.
Network edge
UDP amplification guard, IP fragment filter, ICMP flood and probe control, TCP SYN flood protection with SYN cookies and proxy, TCP state validation, per-source connection limits and Adaptive Under-Attack Mode.
Game protocol validators
Source Engine (CS2, Garry's Mod, TF2, L4D2), A2S query caching, RakNet (Rust, Minecraft Bedrock) and SA-MP / open.mp. Packets that do not look like the game are dropped.
VPN & services
WireGuard and OpenVPN validators, plus SYN proxy and per-source limits for RDP, SSH, web, mail and MySQL. Disabled services are closed at the edge.
One-click presets for the games you host.
Pick a preset, tweak the per-port rules, and you're protected. Need something unusual? Add custom ports and protocols with any filter.
Protection for every kind of server.
Add Glitch Guard to the infrastructure you already run, or start with a protected plan.
DDoS protected VPS
AMD Ryzen and Intel cloud VPS with Glitch Guard filtering on any protected IP.
DDoS protected VPS →DDoS protected dedicated servers
Bare metal performance with per-IP filtering and an always-on volumetric shield.
Protected dedicated servers →Game server DDoS protection
Protocol-aware filters for Minecraft, Rust, FiveM, CS2, ARK and more.
Game server protection →DDoS protected hosting
Websites, APIs, Discord bots and game panels behind the same mitigation stack.
DDoS protected hosting →| Event | Peak | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Attack ended | — | UDP amp |
| Attack started | — | SYN flood |
| Discord alert | sent | webhook |
Illustrative example of the attack history view.
Your rules, live in seconds.
Manage Glitch Guard from the Glitch Servers client area. Changes apply within seconds, with no tickets and no waiting.
- Presets with editable per-port rules for TCP, UDP, ICMP, ESP and GRE
- Rate limit, Steam query, RakNet, SA-MP, WireGuard and OpenVPN UDP filters
- One-click toggles for ping, SSH, RDP, HTTP/S, MySQL, WireGuard, OpenVPN, IPsec
- Manual six-hour Under-Attack Mode, or let it engage automatically
- Live 1, 6 and 24-hour graphs with per-reason breakdowns
- Attack history and Discord webhook alerts for start and end
Better than null-routing. Smarter than rate limits.
| Capability | Basic DDoS protection | Glitch Guard |
|---|---|---|
| Volumetric mitigation | Often threshold-based | Always-on, inline, under a second |
| When an attack is large | Your IP may be null-routed | No null-routing; keeps you online |
| Game protocol awareness | Generic UDP rate limits | Protocol validators per game |
| Rules you can edit | Support ticket | Client area, live in seconds |
| Added latency | Possible with remote scrubbing | Microseconds, same datacentre |
| If the filter fails | Outage | Fails open to the direct path |
Built on UK infrastructure you can trust.
Glitch Guard runs on the Glitch Servers network: AS212868, LINX and LONAP peering, dual-stack IPv4 and IPv6, with UK data sovereignty. Clean traffic travels to your server over a separate internal path, so attacks never share a route with your players.
DDoS protection questions, answered.
What is DDoS protection?
DDoS protection is a set of network defences that detect and filter malicious traffic aimed at overwhelming a server, so legitimate users can still connect. Glitch Guard combines always-on volumetric mitigation with per-IP packet filtering at the network edge. New to the topic? Read what is a DDoS attack.
How does Glitch Guard mitigate DDoS attacks?
Volumetric attacks are absorbed inline on Tier 1 transit and mitigated in under a second. Traffic for a protected IP is then steered through Glitch Guard's XDP filter, which validates each port against its expected protocol, proxies TCP handshakes and drops out-of-state packets before clean traffic reaches your server. See DDoS mitigation for the full breakdown.
Does Glitch Guard add latency?
No noticeable latency. Filtering happens in microseconds at the network edge, in the same UK datacentre as your server, rather than via a distant scrubbing centre.
Can Glitch Guard protect game servers?
Yes. There are protocol-aware validators and one-click presets for Source Engine games, Minecraft Java and Bedrock, Rust, ARK, FiveM, SA-MP, Arma, Palworld, Valheim, TeamSpeak and more, plus custom ports and protocols. See game server DDoS protection.
Will real players be blocked during an attack?
No. Connection limits allow join bursts and never limit established sessions, and Steam queries are answered from a cached copy of your server's reply during floods.
Is my IP null-routed when I am attacked?
No. Glitch Guard mitigates in line without null-routing or redirecting your traffic. You receive a Discord alert and Under-Attack Mode can engage automatically.
Which services include DDoS protection?
Volumetric mitigation is included on every Glitch Servers service. Glitch Guard per-IP filtering is an add-on for Cloud VPS and dedicated servers, and game servers are protected by Glitch Guard. Colocation includes volumetric mitigation, with per-IP filtering on request.
Stop attacks before they reach your server.
Add Glitch Guard to a Glitch Servers VPS, dedicated server or game server and manage every rule from the client area.