Ask HN: Why are Discord servers called “servers”? Is it due to the architecture?

5 pointsZYinMD4y ago6 comments

I wonder if each server is an actual server from a tech standpoint. If not, isn't it a daunting name for new users? Before I became a user, for a long time I thought Discord was an open source protocol where everybody can start their own server by setting up and hosting the server which stores all the chat histories, which is too formidable to venture into.

6 comments

Raed6674y ago

I'm guessing it is from TeamSpeak and Mumble days, where friends would need to specify the domain or IP address of an actual server in order to be in the same chat.

mikewarot3y ago

It's a social engineering move, that distracts from actual operation/ownership of your data. You feel like you're running server, with a bit of the power/headaches involved, but you're not. The users are validated across all discord instances, you don't do that on your own, so it takes care of some headaches of administration.

It's a closed garden, though. Never forget that.

smt884y ago

I always thought the idea was to mirror the terminology of the online gaming community, but I'm interested in being corrected if that's wrong.

dmlittle4y ago

I think the users started calling them “servers” and it stuck. Their API, and I’m guessing internal naming as well, calls them guilds[1]

[1] https://discord.com/developers/docs/resources/guild

taubek4y ago

I guess that this is also a good marketing move: anyone can start a new server. It gives you a sense of power - you have your server, and it is super easy to set it up.

phillipseamore4y ago

They could have kept the ambiguity but used a more relevant term like "domains".

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