Services like (free tier) offer proxy protection for Minecraft if you use their "Spectrum" (paid) – but a hidden trick: Use TCPSheild’s free tier or PlayIT.gg (free forever for low-traffic servers). These hide your real IP address for nothing.

Software firewalls (iptables, UFW, Fail2Ban) are free and run on the same machine as Minecraft.

Add rate-limit=10 in server.properties and restart again.

Bot attacks can be a significant problem for Minecraft server owners, but there are free solutions available to help protect your server. By using a firewall, configuring server properties, using plugins, whitelisting players, and monitoring your server, you can significantly reduce the risk of bot attacks. Remember to keep your server up-to-date, use strong passwords, and limit server access to ensure your server remains secure.

: Setting online-mode=true in your server.properties is the most effective first step, as it forces Mojang authentication and prevents many simple bot scripts from connecting [19].

By combining these steps, you can focus on building and adventuring without worrying about the next wave of automated griefers. a specific Anti-Bot plugin like Bot Attacks - Radware