Reference
Discord server security glossary
By ESN Systems, makers of ESN Guardian. Updated November 3, 2026.
The words people use when they talk about keeping a Discord server safe, in plain English. Each term links to a guide or to Discord's own help page.
Administrator permission · Alert-only mode · Alt account · Anti-nuke · Anti-raid · Audit log · AutoMod · Ban evasion · Bot farm · Captcha · Compromised account · IP logger · Lockdown · Look-alike domain · Mass mention · Nuke · Permission integer · Phishing · QR login scam · Quarantine · Raid · Rewind · Role hierarchy · Rules screening · Safemode · Security grade · Server snapshot · Server template · Token · Trusted user (whitelist) · Two-factor authentication (2FA) · Verification gate · Verification level · Webhook
- Administrator permission
- A Discord permission that grants every other permission and ignores channel overwrites. The most dangerous permission to hand out. Read more →
- Alert-only mode
- Running a protection so it only logs what it would have done, without acting, to tune it safely first. Read more →
- Alt account
- A second account run by the same person, often used to get around a ban or to add fake joins, votes or entries. Read more →
- Anti-nuke
- Protection that watches destructive actions such as channel and role deletes, mass bans and webhook creation, and stops the account doing them once it crosses a limit. Read more →
- Anti-raid
- Protection that spots a wave of joins well above a server's normal rate and holds the new accounts back, by locking the server, quarantining them or sending them to verification. Read more →
- Audit log
- Discord's record of who changed what in a server: channel and role edits, bans, kicks, webhook and invite changes. Security bots read it to see who did an action. Read more →
- AutoMod
- Discord's built-in filter for words, spam and mentions. Bots like Guardian add their own automod on top. Discord’s page →
- Ban evasion
- Coming back to a server on another account after being banned. Read more →
- Bot farm
- A group of automated or throwaway accounts that join together, often with similar names and no avatars. Read more →
- Captcha
- A short test that a human can pass and a simple bot can't, such as a math question or picking an image, used before a new member can talk. Read more →
- Compromised account
- An account someone else has taken control of, usually through phishing, a fake QR code or a malicious file. Read more →
- IP logger
- A link that records the IP address of anyone who opens it. Often hidden behind a short link or an image. Read more →
- Lockdown
- Temporarily stopping members from posting or joining, usually during a raid, so staff can clean up. Read more →
- Look-alike domain
- A web address made to look like a real one, such as swapping one letter, to trick people into trusting it. Read more →
- Mass mention
- A message that pings many members or roles at once, a common raid and spam tactic. Read more →
- Nuke
- An attack from inside a server: an account with power (a turned or hacked moderator, or a hijacked bot) deletes channels and roles, bans members or spams webhooks to wreck the server. Read more →
- Permission integer
- The single number in a bot invite link that encodes which permissions the bot asks for. Read more →
- Phishing
- Tricking someone into giving away their login, often with a fake login page or a look-alike link. Read more →
- QR login scam
- A scam that shows you the QR code from Discord's real login page, disguised as verification or a gift. Scanning it logs the scammer in as you. Read more →
- Quarantine
- Holding an account in a restricted state, with no access to normal channels, until staff decide what to do with it.
- Raid
- Many accounts joining a server at once to spam, post shock content or mass-ping members. Usually run with throwaway or bot accounts. Read more →
- Rewind
- Guardian's undo for an attack: it restores everything one account changed in the last few minutes. Read more →
- Role hierarchy
- The order of roles in Server Settings. A member or bot can only manage roles and members below its own highest role, so a security bot's role must sit high. Read more →
- Rules screening
- Discord's built-in step that asks new members to agree to the server rules before they can talk. Discord’s page →
- Safemode
- Guardian's one-tap lockdown presets (invites only, read-only, staff-only or full) with a panic PIN for trusted staff. Read more →
- Security grade
- A letter grade for how well a server is set up against attacks, based on things like 2FA, admin count and dangerous permissions. Read more →
- Server snapshot
- A saved copy of a server's settings, roles, channels, permissions and bans that a bot can restore from. Read more →
- Server template
- Discord's built-in copy of a server's channel and role layout, shared as a link that creates a new server. It doesn't include messages or members. Discord’s page →
- Token
- A secret string that lets a program act as an account or bot. A leaked bot token gives full control of that bot. Read more →
- Trusted user (whitelist)
- An account a security bot will not punish automatically, usually the owner and a few senior staff. Guardian can also grant trust for a limited time. Read more →
- Two-factor authentication (2FA)
- A second login step, such as a code from an app, on top of the password. Discord servers can require it for moderators. Discord’s page →
- Verification gate
- A step new members pass before they can see or use the rest of a server, such as pressing Verify, a captcha or a rules quiz. Read more →
- Verification level
- Discord's own server setting for what an account needs before it can talk: a verified email, a minimum account age, a minimum time in the server, or a verified phone number. Discord’s page →
- Webhook
- A URL that posts messages into one channel. Anyone with the URL can post through it, so it should be kept secret. Read more →
Guardian handles raids, nukes, alts, scam links and backups on every server, at no cost.
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