Discord is a communications platform that brings people together to hang out online. We work hard to ensure Discord users are able to have meaningful conversations and spend time with their friends and communities safely.
User feedback is valuable to us and helps us ensure our platform is easy to use. This article describes an update to make it more clear how we categorize the different types of servers, how to recognize them, and what you can expect in those spaces.
What this article covers:
At a Glance: Friend vs. Community Servers
What are the types of servers
- Friend Server: Friend Servers are invite-only spaces designed to discuss, connect, and share with your friends or smaller groups.
- Community Server: Community Servers are invite-only spaces designed for people to share, connect, and learn from others all over the world who share common interests. Moderators in Community Servers have access to tools like Server Insights, Raid Protection, Rules and Onboarding.
Becoming a Community Server
Friend Servers who wish to have access to Community features may opt in to become a Community Server at any time in server settings.
Becoming a Community Server does not mean that anyone can find or join your server. Prospective members have to be sent an invite link. To support Community Server growth, invite links for Community Servers never expire.
Eligible servers that do want to grow their audience and allow anyone to join can choose to become discoverable via Server Discovery if they meet certain criteria. Find out more and read our Server Discovery Guidelines.
In order for users to know what type of server they’re in, we’ve introduced badges for Community Servers.
We will display a distinct server badge if the server is a Community Server, a Discoverable Community, Partnered Server, or Verified Server. Hovering over the badge will provide more detailed information about the server type, whether anyone can join the server, and the Boost level.
Communities that previously had the “Public” tag, will now have the “Discoverable Community” badge. Servers that are Partnered and Verified will receive the “Verified” badge, and the tooltip will denote both statuses.
For more information on our approach to safety across server types, please visit our Safety Center.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What happens with badges if you’re verified and partnered?
A: We’ll display your Verified badge, and the tooltip will indicate that the server is Verified & Partnered.
Q: Does this mean that partner badges go away?
A: No. Partner and Verified badges will remain unchanged.
Q: How will I know what type of server I am in?
A: Community, Partnered and Verified servers will have badges and tooltips that display the server type.
Q: Will Friend Servers be labeled/ badged?
A: We may consider adding a badge to Friend Servers in a future rollout.