In the world of online gaming, server infrastructure is a critical component. As players, we often take the technology that makes our online adventures possible for granted. Let's talk about a service revolutionizing how we think about gaming servers: playit.gg.

What is playit.gg?

playit.gg is a forward-thinking service allowing anyone to create free secure gaming servers. In a world where the cost of maintaining infrastructure can hinder creative endeavors, playit.gg steps up to provide an invaluable resource to the gaming community.

The platform is not just about cost savings, though. It's also about security, reliability, and performance. And this is where our technical deep dive begins: with the magic of an anycast network.

playit.gg is a networking service that make it possible to host game servers at home that anyone across the world can join. We do this through our custom tunneling software. You can find our opensource client here. When you launch the playit program, the program will connect to our Anycast Network and assign you a static IP and port. You can then share your static IP and port with friends. When they connect, their connection information will go to the nearest tunnel server and be tunneled to the playit program running on your computer. By tunneling the connection, your friend is able to connect to the server running within your network.

From the About page on the website :) 

What is an Anycast network?

Anycast is a network addressing and routing methodology that enables routing inbound requests to different locations, depending on factors like congestion, distance, and link health. In the context of DevOps and network management, anycast offers tremendous advantages.

In a conventional unicast network, a single IP address is tied to a single device. An IP address can be assigned to multiple devices with anycast, typically servers distributed across different geographical locations. When a user requests an anycast IP address, network protocols determine the best path to one of these servers, usually the closest or least congested.

This has several implications for system resilience and performance. Anycast networks can handle heavy traffic loads, automatically routing around congestion and spreading demand across multiple servers. They can also improve latency, as users are routed to the nearest server.

In addition, anycast networks can enhance security. For example, in the event of a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, the traffic can be distributed across multiple servers, reducing the risk of any single server being overwhelmed. This is especially important for a gaming service like playit.gg, which needs to maintain uptime and performance even in the face of potential cyberattacks.

An Anycast Network is a network where all of our IP addresses are available at all of our datacenters. When you or a player tries to communicate with a playit tunnel server, your ISP will route your connection to what they consider is the closet datacenter we operate in. ISPs don't always get this right so we're actively working of a new ways to improve this.

From the About page on the website :) 

How to use playit.gg?

Using playit.gg is straightforward. After signing up for an account, you can create your gaming server by following the prompts on the website. You can customize your server to suit your needs, including choosing the game you want to host, the number of players, and other settings.

Once your server is set up, playit.gg provides an IP address you can share with other players. This IP address is hosted on playit.gg's anycast network, ensuring that your server benefits from resilience, performance, and security offered 100% free by playit.gg.

What do you get in the free tier?

playit.gg offers both free and premium tiers, with the free tier offering up to 4 TCP ports, 4 UDP ports, and a single firewall. For users on IPv6 networks, playit.gg offers immense flexibility with the ability to use any or all of your 65,000+ public ports on your IP. Additional features like custom domains and dedicated IP addresses are available as add-ons.

About DDoS Attacks and playit.gg

In 2023, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks have become a significant threat to the online gaming industry, significantly reshaping its landscape. These attacks involve overwhelming a network, service, or server with internet traffic, causing it to slow down or crash. In the gaming context, these attacks target the game servers, disrupting the gaming experience for players and potentially leading to substantial financial losses for gaming companies.

The most direct impact of a DDoS attack on a gaming server is the disruption it causes to the players. Games may become laggy, disconnect frequently, or entirely inaccessible, significantly affecting players' gaming experience. A successful DDoS attack for gaming companies can result in substantial financial losses. These can stem from lost revenue during the attack, the cost of mitigating the attack, and potential compensation to affected players. Frequent or severe DDoS attacks can damage a gaming company’s reputation, losing the player base.

A service like playit.gg is acutely aware of the potential for DDoS attacks and has implemented measures to protect its users and maintain service quality. When you launch the playit program, the program will connect to playit.gg's Anycast Network and assign you a static IP and port. Your static IP and port can then be shared with friends. When they connect, their connection information will go to the nearest tunnel server and be tunneled to the playit program on your computer. By tunneling the connection, your friends can connect to the server running within your network.

What is the best part about playit.gg

One of the vital safety benefits of playit.gg is that it hides your IP, meaning that even if there is a DDoS attack, it won't affect your network. The service also lets you turn the "tunneling" off anytime by closing the program. Additionally, playit.gg features strong firewalls and better connection handling, further bolstering the service's resilience to DDoS attacks and other potential disruptions.

Challenges of DDoS Protection in Playit.gg

Despite the advantages of playit.gg's DDoS protection, some challenges come with it. One of the primary issues is the cost of maintaining a robust defense against DDoS attacks. In a message from Patrick, the founder and CEO of playit.gg, he acknowledges that the only viable way to handle these attacks is to invest more money in renting powerful servers. This could be a substantial expenditure, especially given the scale and frequency of the attacks.

About DDoS in gaming

The gaming industry is increasingly implementing measures to combat DDoS attacks. These include using DDoS protection services, educating players about DDoS attacks, and improving incident response capabilities. These measures aim to ensure the reliability and security of online gaming experiences and to minimize disruption to players​

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