Poller mode vs plugin mode: what each one gives you

clan.me works in two modes, and most servers will use both at the same time. Poller mode starts the moment you submit your server. Plugin mode starts the moment you install the plugin and pair it with your token. You don't have to choose between them.

What poller mode gives you

The poller uses the standard Minecraft server list ping protocol, the same mechanism your Minecraft client uses to show the player count in your server list. It contacts your server every few minutes and records the response.

From a poll, clan.me gets:

• Online or offline status
• Current and maximum player count
• A sample of up to 12 currently online player names and UUIDs
• Server version
• MOTD
• Map type, if a BlueMap, Dynmap, or Squaremap endpoint is detected

This is enough to build a public listing page, track uptime percentage, chart a 30-day player count trend, and run the just-spotted feed. Your dashboard goes live within minutes of submitting.

What the plugin adds

The plugin fires a heartbeat every 60 seconds directly from your server process, giving clan.me data that the server list ping protocol can never provide.

The plugin unlocks:

• TPS at 1-minute, 5-minute, and 15-minute averages
• MSPT (milliseconds per tick)
• Heap memory, used and max, with GC pressure data
• Entity count per world
• Loaded chunk count per world
• The full player list, not the 12-player SLP sample
• Accurate session start and end timestamps from join and quit events
• Death and PvP kill counts
• Chat message rate as a count, with no content stored
• Installed plugin list and versions
• Server config snapshot (difficulty, PvP, game mode, view distance, online mode)

Which should you use?

Both. Submit your server to get your public page live immediately, then install the plugin to unlock the full analytics dashboard. The plugin data flows into the same charts and feeds as the polling data, with higher accuracy and more metrics.

If you cannot install plugins for any reason, poller mode still gives you a useful public page with uptime and player count history. The plugin is just the step that makes the analytics meaningful.