Gateway Sentry

Products / Network Protection / Game Query Caching

Queries Answered at the Door

Server-browser queries like A2S are answered from edge cache at every site. Query floods and player-list refreshes are absorbed by the edge, and your box only sees real gameplay.

A2S and query protocolsevery site answers locally0 query load on your box

Why Cache Game Queries

The Problem

Server browsers, launchers, and monitoring bots hammer game query ports constantly, and query floods are a favorite cheap attack because every request normally costs your server CPU. Popularity and abuse look identical at the port.

The Fix

The edge caches your server’s query responses and answers on its behalf at every site. Refreshing browsers and query floods alike terminate at the nearest PoP, before the request ever crosses the internet to you.

Always Fresh

The cache is refreshed from your server continuously, so player counts and server info stay current in every browser worldwide. Nobody sees a stale listing because you turned protection on.

What Your Box Sees

Gameplay. Query traffic, legitimate or malicious, is handled upstream, which also keeps your listing responsive during an attack: the edge keeps answering even while it absorbs the flood.

Made for Source-Style Games

A2S is the canonical case: CS2, TF2, and Garry's Mod servers live and die by their browser listings, and A2S floods are the cheapest attack against them. The Source Engine page covers the specifics; Rust and ARK query ports benefit the same way.

Stronger On-Net

Pair query caching with a server hosted on Sentry Compute and the whole loop stays inside the perimeter: browsers hit the nearest cache, players hit the anycast address, and nothing touches a public path in between.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is A2S and why is it a DDoS risk?
A2S is the Source engine query protocol used by server browsers to fetch server info and player counts. Because each query costs the server work, attackers abuse it for cheap floods. Gateway Sentry answers these queries from edge cache so they never reach your server.
Will cached queries show stale player counts?
The edge refreshes its cache from your server continuously, so listings stay current. During an attack the edge keeps answering, which means your server stays visible in browsers even while the flood is being absorbed.

Get Protected in Minutes

Provision from the dashboard; usage-based billing from the first packet