How The Minecraft Registry Works
An ethical, research-focused approach to discovering and analyzing publicly reachable Minecraft servers
System Architecture
TMR operates through a coordinated two-component system designed for scalability and minimal network impact
Distributed Crawlers
Independent instances that discover and query servers
Central Database
Authoritative storage for discovered server data
The Minecraft Registry employs a distributed crawler architecture that operates independently from the centralized database, with strict coordination to prevent duplicate requests, redundant scans, and unnecessary network traffic.
Crawler Process Flow
Each crawl cycle follows a strict, ethical protocol designed to minimize network impact
IP Generation & Filtering
Each cycle begins with random public IP address generation using strong cryptographic randomness. The generator excludes multicast, broadcast, reserved, loopback, and private address ranges to ensure only valid, publicly routable addresses are considered.
Duplicate Prevention Check
Before any network connection, the crawler queries the database to verify the generated IP hasn't been previously crawled. If it exists, the crawler immediately skips it and generates a new IP, preventing redundant or repeated scans.
Connection Attempt
For uncrawled IPs, the crawler attempts a TCP connection on port 25565 (Minecraft Java Edition). Each attempt enforces a strict 3-second timeout to avoid prolonged or stalled network interactions.
Server Identification
Upon successful connection, the crawler performs a standard Minecraft handshake followed by a status request. Retrieved metadata includes version, MOTD, player count, and max players.
Data Collection
Server metadata is evaluated against existing records to determine if the server has been previously indexed. Only publicly exposed data is collected—no authentication or gameplay interaction occurs.
Deduplication & Storage
If the server exists, duplicate records are skipped. New servers are stored with their associated IP address and metadata. This prevents database bloat and maintains data integrity.
Rate-Limited Cooldown
Each complete cycle enforces a randomized cooldown between 1 and 7 seconds. This rate limiting is applied consistently across all crawler instances to reduce network impact and respect external infrastructure.
Database Architecture
The centralized database serves as the authoritative source and coordination hub
Authoritative Storage
The TMR database serves as the single source of truth for indexed server information, maintaining records of discovered Minecraft servers and their metadata.
Crawler Monitoring
Tracks active crawler instances for real-time monitoring and control, ensuring optimal distribution and preventing system overload.
IP Tracking
Maintains records of all IP addresses that have been crawled without response, preventing redundant queries to non-responsive addresses.
Server Update Crawler
Continuous MonitoringIn addition to discovery crawlers, TMR operates a dedicated update crawler that refreshes data on known servers. This crawler sequentially re-crawls known server IPs, updating the database when changes in server metadata are detected. This ensures the registry remains current while maintaining the same ethical and rate-limited approach.
Ethical Principles
Core principles that guide The Minecraft Registry's operation
Non-Intrusive
Only publicly exposed server status data is collected. No authentication, joining, or gameplay interaction occurs at any stage.
Rate-Limited
Strict delays between requests prevent network flooding and respect server infrastructure, with random intervals to avoid predictable patterns.
Data Minimization
Only necessary data from the standard Minecraft server status handshake is collected. No additional probing or information gathering occurs.
Research-Focused
Data is used exclusively for research, infrastructure analysis, and understanding the public Minecraft server ecosystem.
Transparency
Methodology, data sources, and collection practices are openly documented to maintain trust and accountability.
Respectful
Systems are designed to respect server resources and administrator preferences, with clear opt-out mechanisms available.
Technical Specifications
Key technical details of The Minecraft Registry's implementation
Protocol
Transport: TCP on port 25565
Handshake: Standard Minecraft Server Status Protocol
Timeout: 3 seconds per connection attempt
Rate Limiting
Delay Range: 1-7 seconds between requests
Randomization: Pseudo-random distribution
Coordination: Database-level synchronization
Data Collected
Server Version: Minecraft version string
MOTD: Message of the day
Players: Online and maximum counts
Status: Online/offline state
Exclusions
Private Ranges: RFC 1918 addresses
Reserved IPs: Multicast, broadcast, loopback
Non-Standard: Only port 25565 queried