Mystel Server Proxy

A high-performance L7 reverse proxy for MMO servers, with protocol inspection for TERA (v92.04).

Protect your server from instability caused by unauthorized modules, malicious packets, and network abuse. Mystel acts as an intelligent protection layer, intercepting and filtering traffic before it reaches your game server.

Key Features

Mystel was built from the ground up with a focus on security, performance, and ease of integration. It requires no modifications to your game server’s code.

• Unauthorized Module Blocking Detects and blocks the use of cheat tools (like toolbox) that have identifiable signatures in network traffic.

• Packet Inspection and Sanitization Analyzes traffic in real-time to fix or discard malformed packets that could cause server instability or crashes.

• Traffic Control and Reputation Includes rate limiting by packet count and data volume, as well as a reputation system for automatically banning malicious IPs.

• Native and Cross-Platform Performance Built with C# on .NET 9 and compiled with Native AOT. This results in a single, high-performance binary with low resource consumption, requiring no separate runtime installation on the server.

• Proxy Protocol v2 Support Seamlessly integrates with existing infrastructures, working alongside other L4 proxies or load balancers without losing the original player IP.

• Additional Traffic Encryption (Experimental) Applies a proprietary encryption layer to hinder traffic analysis and the development of third-party tools.

Project Status and Roadmap

Mystel is in an experimental phase. Stability and the feature set may change. Efficacy against all threats is not guaranteed at this stage.

• Available Now:

  • All features listed above (threat mitigation, rate limiting, IP blocking, Proxy Protocol v2).
  • Compatibility with TERA protocol v92.04.

• Roadmap (In Development):

  • Support for Multiple Protocol Versions: Adapting the proxy to be compatible with other versions of the TERA protocol.
  • Module Architecture: Allowing for controlled extensibility to add custom features.
  • Management API: An interface for integrations, monitoring, and remote configuration.

Deployment and Integration

• Platforms: Distributed as Docker images and bare-metal binaries for multiple platforms (Windows and Linux, for x64 and ARM architectures).
• Topology: Acts as a gateway in front of the game server. It can be coupled with an existing L4 proxy via Proxy Protocol v2.

The project will be publicly available soon, as we achieve greater stability.

Scope and Limitations

• Mystel focuses on threats detectable in network traffic. It is not a client-side anti-cheat solution and does not prevent all forms of client modification.
• The use of additional encryption is experimental and may require specific adjustments per version or environment.
• This tool complements, but does not replace, good server administration practices such as security updates, active monitoring, and community policies.

Disclaimer

This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by KRAFTON, Inc. or its affiliates (Bluehole Studio Inc.). TERA™ and related names are registered trademarks of KRAFTON, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.