Whitelist
Also called whitelisted server, application server
A gate that restricts joining to approved players, usually via an application, interview or Discord role.
A whitelisted server requires approval before a player can connect. The gate is typically a written application, sometimes an interview, and is enforced either by a resource checking a Discord role or by an allow-list of identifiers.
The trade is deliberate: far fewer connections, far higher quality. Whitelisting is the standard answer to the serious-roleplay problem of random players joining to cause chaos, and it works — but it changes what visibility is worth to you. A whitelisted server converts a list impression into an application, not a player, and applications take staff time to process.
It also changes how you should read your own numbers. A whitelisted server with 40 concurrent players may have a healthier community than an open server with 200, and comparing them on player count alone is meaningless.
If you whitelist, say so in the server description. A player who connects and is immediately kicked remembers the server as broken, not as selective.
Related terms
Trying to get your server seen?
The live leaderboard shows what the numbers look like at the top of the list, and the upvote calculator turns a target server into a campaign size. The full glossary is here.