# Servers

Servers provide the infrastructure to **run multiple tasks efficiently** and significantly enhance performance in botting. Unlike a home computer, a server offers **high-speed, always-online connectivity**, allowing you to scale up your botting setup without relying on your local network.

This guide will cover:

* **Why servers are useful for botting**
* **The importance of bandwidth over hardware specs**
* **Choosing the right server type**
* **Server specifications & OS requirements**
* **How bandwidth impacts bot performance**
* **Best practices for optimizing server usage**

***

## **Why Use Servers for Botting?**

### **1. Enhanced Speed and Performance**

🚀 **Servers process tasks faster** than home computers because they often have better network speeds and lower latency. Many botting-friendly servers are located **close to retailer servers (e.g., Virginia)**, reducing request times and improving success rates.

### **2. 24/7 Automation**

⏳ **Always online** – A server runs **continuously** without interruptions, ensuring bots remain active and ready to start tasks when a product restocks.

### **3. Scaling and Expansion**

📈 **More capacity** – Servers allow **infinite expansion**, meaning you can **run more bots and tasks** than on a standard home network.

### **4. Running Specialized Software**

🛒 **Essential for freebie software** – Many botters use servers to run **Amazon freebie software** or other automated scripts that require **constant uptime** and **high processing power**.

***

## **What Specs Do I Need for a Server?**

### **Minimum Recommended Specs**

The server specifications you need depend on **how many tasks** you plan to run, but here are the **recommended minimums** for botting:

✔ **CPU:** 8 cores minimum (more cores help with multitasking)\
✔ **RAM:** 16GB minimum (higher RAM allows for more simultaneous tasks)\
✔ **Storage:** 50GB+ SSD (ensures fast read/write speeds)\
✔ **Bandwidth:** **High bandwidth allocation is more important than CPU/RAM** (see below)

🔹 **Scaling Up?** If you're running a larger botting setup, consider:

* **16 cores & 32GB RAM for more demanding tasks**
* **16 cores & 64GB RAM for high-intensity botting**

📌 **Reminder:** The real bottleneck isn’t CPU/RAM—it’s **bandwidth**. Prioritize **servers with high bandwidth limits** over just upgrading hardware.

***

## **The Important Factor: Bandwidth**

### **What is Bandwidth?**

**Bandwidth** refers to the **maximum amount of data that can be transmitted over a network connection within a given period**. Think of it as a **highway**—the more lanes (bandwidth) you have, the more traffic (bot tasks) you can handle at once without congestion.

#### **How Bandwidth Affects Botting**

🔹 **More Bandwidth = More Simultaneous Tasks** – Higher bandwidth allows **more concurrent requests** without slowing down or getting blocked.

🔹 **Limited Bandwidth = Bottlenecks & Failures** – Running too many tasks **on low bandwidth** can **slow down your server, cause failed checkouts, and even crash your entire network**.

🔹 **Bandwidth > Hardware Specs (Most of the Time)** – While CPU and RAM matter, **your server’s bandwidth is usually the real bottleneck** in how many tasks you can run **without connection issues**.

🚨 **Disclaimer:**\
While **bandwidth is typically the most important factor**, **some bots that are poorly optimized or rely on browser-based automation may require more CPU/RAM instead**.

**Examples:**

* **SNKRS botting** (due to browser-based checkout flows).
* **Target botting** (can be CPU-heavy, depending on the method used).

🔹 **Solution:** If running CPU-intensive bots, consider **balancing bandwidth with enough CPU & RAM** to support the software’s demands.

***

## **Choosing the Right Server for Botting**

When selecting a server, consider **both bandwidth and the right server type** based on your needs.

### **1. Server Types**

| **Server Type**                  | **Description**                                                                                     | **Best For**                                   |
| -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| **VPS (Virtual Private Server)** | Shared physical resources with dedicated virtual space. More affordable, but limited in power.      | Single-bot setups, small-scale botting         |
| **Dedicated Server (Baremetal)** | Exclusive use of all server resources. More expensive but offers **maximum speed and reliability**. | Intensive botting setups running multiple bots |

### **2. Server Sizes**

📌 **Server size determines processing power**, but remember: **Bandwidth is the limiting factor for task count!**

| **Server Size** | **Specs**          | **Use Case**                     |
| --------------- | ------------------ | -------------------------------- |
| **8×16**        | 8 Cores, 16GB RAM  | Most common for beginners        |
| **16×32**       | 16 Cores, 32GB RAM | Supports more demanding tasks    |
| **16×64**       | 16 Cores, 64GB RAM | Ideal for high-intensity botting |

🔹 **More Cores & RAM ≠ More Tasks if Bandwidth is Limited**

* **If your bandwidth is capped**, increasing RAM/CPU won’t improve performance.
* Prioritize **servers with higher bandwidth allocations** over raw hardware specs.

***

## **Operating System Requirements**

📌 **Refract and most botting software do not run on older Windows versions.**

🚨 **Avoid using Windows Server 2012 and earlier.** These versions lack compatibility with modern botting applications and security updates.

🔹 **Recommended OS Versions:**\
✔ Windows Server **2016 or newer**\
✔ Windows 10/11 if running a desktop environment

If you’re using an older server version, **upgrade before setting up your bot** to avoid software conflicts.

***

## **Proximity to Proxies & Server Location**

📍 **Where your server is located matters.** Many **retail websites’ servers are in Virginia**.

✔ **Using a server in Virginia** (or close to your proxies’ location) helps **reduce latency** and increases the chances of **successful checkouts**.

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## **Best Practices for Using Servers in Botting**

✅ **Distribute Tasks Efficiently** – Don't overload a single server; **spread tasks across multiple servers if needed**.\
✅ **Use a Quality Server Provider** – Avoid cheap or oversold VPS plans that throttle bandwidth.\
✅ **Pair Your Server with Reliable Proxies** – Use **starred proxy providers in our server** for the best success rates.\
✅ **Test Before Major Drops** – Run stress tests **before big releases** to ensure your server can handle the task load.

***

## **Summary**

✔ **Bandwidth is the most important factor** – More than CPU or RAM, **bandwidth determines how many tasks you can run**.\
✔ **Too many tasks can crash your server** – Overloading a low-bandwidth server leads to **timeouts, failures, and bans**.\
✔ **Use dedicated or high-bandwidth VPS servers** – Choose a provider with **high data limits** to prevent throttling.\
✔ **Server location affects speed** – Pick a server **close to retailer servers** (Virginia is ideal).\
✔ **Ensure your server runs Windows Server 2016 or newer** – Older versions can cause compatibility issues.\
✔ **Pair servers with the right proxies** – Using **local proxies + a high-bandwidth server** gives the best performance.

By choosing the right server with **ample bandwidth**, optimizing your task distribution, and monitoring usage, you’ll maximize your **botting efficiency and success rates** with Refract.