Why restrict versions
- Old clients play by different rules. The best-known example is combat, which works differently in 1.8 than in 1.9 and later, and on a PvP server that matters.
- ViaBackwards translates new blocks and items for old clients as best it can. Players on very old versions see substitutes and report bugs that do not exist on the server.
- Some new server content can only be seen in new versions.
- Sometimes every bot in an attack arrives with one client version that your players do not use. Then you can close that version for as long as the attack lasts.
How this differs from ViaVersion settings
The ViaVersion config can also block individual versions. Kordon checks the version earlier, on the proxy, for the whole network at once. You change the setting in the panel without a restart, and the player sees a clear message in their client's language, if that language is added for the server.
Setting it up in Kordon
In the panel, open the "Versions" tab of the "Protection" section and pick a mode: "Any version", "Only the selected ones" or "Except the selected ones".
Add up to 20 rows. A row can be a single version or a "from ... to ..." range, and a range can end with "and newer". The list covers versions from 1.8 to the latest one. Versions that share a protocol, such as 1.20 and 1.20.1, are one item.
| Goal | Mode | Rows |
|---|---|---|
| A 1.8-style PvP server | Only the selected ones | 1.8 |
| Cut off very old clients | Except the selected ones | from 1.8 to 1.12.2 |
| Allow modern versions only | Only the selected ones | 1.20.5 and newer |
| Close the bots' version during an attack | Except the selected ones | the version the bots use |
What else to keep in mind
- The version filter works in observe mode too, and also after your plan's daily checks have run out.
- The whitelist beats the filter: a whitelisted player gets in with any version.
- The filter does not check Bedrock players who join through Geyser and Floodgate.
- A player kept out by the filter sees the "Version" message. Write in it which versions your server supports.