How to moderate a server list and keep spam out

The day a server list gets its first real visitors, it also gets its first spam. Bots register accounts, owners submit servers that do not exist, rankings get gamed, and someone writes something you would not want your name next to. None of this means you did something wrong. It means the list is working well enough to be worth abusing.

Moderation is the work of keeping the list honest. It is cheaper to design it in than to clean up after the fact, and it is mostly a routine, not a crisis. This guide gives you a layered approach, a review workflow and the legal basics a user-generated directory needs.

What actually goes wrong

A layered defence

No single tool stops everything. Combine small obstacles that cost real users almost nothing:

1. Account friction. Require a verified email before someone can submit or vote, rate-limit registrations, and block disposable-email domains if you see abuse.
2. A honeypot field and a time check. A hidden form field that bots fill in, plus a minimum time to submit, filters out the crudest bots.
3. A challenge for risky actions. A privacy-friendly CAPTCHA such as Cloudflare Turnstile on registration and submission forms. Some scripts, such as GGServerList, list hooks for it. Check your script's documentation for what it supports.
4. An approval queue. New listings stay hidden until a person has looked at them. It is the strongest control you have, and it scales if you keep it short.
5. Ownership checks. For claiming an existing listing, ask the claimant to prove control, for example by adding a token to the server's description or message of the day. MinecraftIP and DCLIST list claim workflows; check how yours works.
6. Limits and cooldowns. A cap on listings per account, a cooldown between votes and between edits.
7. Reports. A clear report button on every listing and review, which routes to a queue.

The review workflow

A queue you check on a schedule beats one you check when you remember. A simple routine for each new listing:

1. Does the server exist? Check the address with a status tool or the script's ping.
2. Is the description original and honest? Look for copied text, misleading claims and unrelated links.
3. Does it follow your rules? Check the content for anything your rules ban.
4. Does the owner look real? Account age, other listings, whether the email domain makes sense.
5. Decide: approve, ask for changes, or reject, and record a short reason.

For reports, add one question: is this a dispute between people (a disagreement between owners, a review someone dislikes) or a breach of your rules? Only the second needs you to act.

Vote manipulation

You cannot see every cheat, but you can set rules and look for patterns: many votes from one network in a short time, accounts that vote for a single server and nothing else, a ranking jump with no change in traffic. Say in your rules that vote manipulation is grounds for removal, apply the same rule to everyone including friends, and use the script's vote limits and logs. Before you buy, check the listing for what it offers: vote cooldowns, anti-abuse controls and admin tools to review or remove votes differ between scripts.

Make decisions consistent: a short rule set

Write rules you can enforce in a few lines each:

• The server must exist, be reachable and match its description.
• No misleading, offensive, hateful or unlawful content.
• No vote, review or ranking manipulation, including buying or selling votes.
• One listing per server. Duplicates will be merged or removed.
• Offline servers are hidden after a period you state, and removed after a longer one.
• You may remove or edit a listing that breaks these rules, and you will say why.

Have an appeal path: who to write to, and how quickly you reply.

Reusable replies

Writing the same message repeatedly is a time sink. Keep short templates and adapt them:

Thanks for your submission. We could not reach the address you gave when we checked. If the server is online, please check the address and port and submit again.

Your listing was removed because the description was copied from another site. You are welcome to submit again with your own text.

We received a report that votes for your listing may have been manipulated. We reviewed the activity and removed the affected votes. Please see rule 3. If you believe this is a mistake, reply to this message.

Keep replies factual and polite. Never accuse without evidence, and never reveal how detection works.

Legal basics for a site that hosts other people's content

• Terms of use. What users may and may not do, what you may remove and why, and who is responsible for the content they post.
• Privacy policy. What personal data you collect (accounts, email addresses, IP addresses in logs), why, how long you keep it, and how users can ask about it. If you use analytics or cookies, say so, and check whether you need consent where your visitors live.
• A way to report unlawful content, and a process for acting on notices. If you serve visitors in a jurisdiction with specific rules for hosting user content, find out what they require. In some places, handling takedown notices properly affects your legal protection.
• Copyright takedowns. Many sites publish a short takedown procedure and a contact point. The marketplace has one you can read as an example: the takedown procedure. It describes this marketplace, so it is not a template for your own site.
• Third-party names. Say that you are independent of the games and platforms you list, and follow their brand guidelines.

For comparison, this marketplace's own terms and privacy policy show the level of detail people expect. Do not copy them: write your own, or have a professional review yours.

Staff, roles and records

• Give moderators only the permissions they need, and use separate accounts for each person.
• Keep a record of significant decisions: who, when, what and why. When two moderators disagree later, the record settles it.
• Rotate who looks at disturbing reports if you have a team, and give moderators a way to step away.

Plan the workload

Moderation grows with the site. Before you promote the list, decide how often you will review the queue and how long you will take to respond, and publish that expectation. If you will not keep up, slow the intake: require approval, cap submissions per day, or close submissions for a while. If you sell featured placement, remember that paying customers expect an answer (how a directory site can earn money).

For the launch order and rules that come before moderation, read how to launch a game server list website.

Frequently asked questions

Should every listing be approved by hand?

At the start, yes. It keeps quality high and teaches you what abuse looks like. Later you may auto-approve trusted owners and review only the rest.

Can I rely on a CAPTCHA alone?

No. It stops simple bots, not people. Use it together with the other layers.

What do I do about a review I disagree with?

If it follows your rules, leave it. Allow owners to reply where the script supports it. Removing honest negative reviews destroys trust.

What if someone threatens legal action?

Do not respond in anger. Keep the evidence, follow your published process, and get proper legal advice for your country.

Can I list a server without the owner's permission?

You can list publicly available information, but you will be asked to remove it if the owner objects. Ask first when you can; it is also a good way to get a better description.

Game and platform names mentioned on this site (such as Minecraft and Discord) belong to their respective owners. CodeMercio and its sellers are independent and are not affiliated with or endorsed by them.