How to Block an IP Address or Country in Your Firewall

To block an IP address in your SolumeCore firewall, open Firewall in the dashboard, pick your server, click Create rule, choose Block someone and paste the address. To block a whole country, use Lists and Countries; to block a provider, use Blocked networks. Before you start, add your own IP to Always allowed so you cannot lock yourself out.

Before you start

• These steps are for the SolumeCore Shield panel, which has the tabs Overview, Rules, Lists, Attacks and Templates. If your server shows Game firewall instead, read the section Block in the Game firewall further down.
• The firewall works on servers with a dedicated IP address; the others appear greyed out as No dedicated IP yet. For a general overview, see Firewall and DDoS protection.
• Blocking is immediate: the blocked address, country or network can no longer reach your server.

Step 1: Protect yourself first

1. Sign in to the SolumeCore dashboard and open Firewall under Servers.
2. If you have more than one server, pick the right one in Choose a server.
3. Open the Lists tab and go to Always allowed.
4. Click Add my current IP to add the address you are connecting from. You can also type an address or a range such as 1.2.3.0/24.

Addresses on this list skip every filter, so you are never blocked by mistake. If your home IP changes from time to time, update it when you notice.

Block an IP address

With the rule wizard

1. Click Create rule at the top of the page.
2. Choose Block someone ("An address that bothers you never gets in again").
3. In IP addresses, paste one or more addresses, one per line or separated by spaces or commas.
4. Check the preview, which says those addresses will not be able to reach your server.
5. In Apply to, choose this server or several, and click Create rule.

From the Lists tab

1. Open Lists and find Blocked.
2. Type the address and click Add. Each address shows whether it was added By you or Automatic, because the shield also adds attackers on its own.
3. To undo it, click Remove next to the address and confirm the question about unblocking it. It can connect again, and if it keeps attacking the shield will block it again.

From an attack

1. Open the Attacks tab and look at Who attacked you.
2. Click Block next to an address, a country or a network. It is added to your lists in one click.

Block a country

1. Open Lists and find Countries.
2. Choose how the list works:
   • Block these: traffic from the countries on the list is blocked. This is the usual choice.
   • Only allow these: only the countries on the list can connect, and the rest of the world is blocked. Add at least one country first.
3. Click Block countries, search the country, select it and confirm with Block followed by the number of countries.

If you want to keep a country but reduce its impact, go to Rules and use Limits by country instead. Click Add limit, choose the country and a maximum of packets per second. The wizard offers presets (Strict, Normal and Generous) and notes that a normal game player sends between 20 and 100 packets per second, so a high limit still leaves room for many real players.

Block a whole network (ASN)

Attacks often come from the same hosting company with IP addresses that keep changing. Blocking its network number blocks them all.

1. In Lists, open Blocked networks.
2. Type the number, for example AS4837 (or only 4837), and click Add.
3. In the Attacks tab, Networks attacking you the most suggests the most active ones with a Block button.

Block in the Game firewall

1. Open Firewall, pick your server and click Create rule.
2. Choose Custom rule.
3. In What should it do?, choose Block.
4. In From where, choose Specific and type an IP (1.2.3.4), a range (1.2.3.0/24) or a two-letter country code (CN).
5. Set the port (One port or All) and the protocol, check the preview and click Add rule.

Rules are checked from top to bottom and the first match wins. New rules go to the top, and you can move them with the ... menu. To let your own address in, create an Allow rule for your IP and make sure it sits above the block rules.

Troubleshooting

I blocked myself

If you can still sign in to the dashboard, remove your address from Blocked or add it to Always allowed. If a country rule is blocking your own country, switch the list to Block these or remove the country.

The attack continues after blocking some addresses

Attacks use many addresses. Look at the Attacks tab for the networks and countries that send most of the traffic, or switch the protection level to Reinforced in Overview.

Players from a blocked country cannot connect

That is the expected result. Remove the country from the list, or use a limit by country instead.

FAQ

Does blocking an IP affect only one server?

When you create a rule you choose where it applies: this server or several at once.

Can I block a range of addresses?

Yes. In Always allowed you can use ranges such as 1.2.3.0/24. In the Game firewall you can use a range as the source of a rule.

Is it better to block a country or limit it?

Limit it if you have some real players there. Block it only when you are sure nobody legitimate connects from it.

Will the shield block attackers by itself?

Yes. It adds attackers to Blocked, marked Automatic, and filters attacks without your help.

Related articles

• Firewall and DDoS protection
• Open a port in the VPS firewall
• Secure your new VPS
• Minecraft whitelist and operators

Want servers with DDoS protection included? See the SolumeCore plans.