Hey all,
I've been building a side project for a while, and I'm at the point where I want to start talking about it publicly and gauging interest. It's called Cartograph (cartograph.gg), an analytics and discovery platform for Minecraft servers. One measurement pipeline, two outputs: players get a directory ranked on measured performance, and owners get analytics on their own server, built from the same data.
Upfront: this is early. The platform isn't open yet and the plugin beta comes after it. I'm not trying to sell anyone on signing up for something that's shipping next week. What I'm looking for right now is people who think the idea is worth their attention, who want to be contacted when there's something real to test, and whose feedback I can fold into the build while it still matters.
The problem
Every major listing site ranks servers on vote counts. In practice that means an arms race of vote rewards, bot farms, and monthly grind events. The servers at the top are the ones with the biggest reward budgets, not the best gameplay. Players can't trust the rankings, and owners who don't want to run monthly vote campaigns get buried.
I doubt that's fixable by adjusting the vote algorithm. The only honest ranking signal is operational data: uptime, performance, retention, activity. And once you're collecting that properly, you're an analytics platform whether you meant to be or not. So that's what Cartograph is, deliberately.
How it works
Two independent data sources feed the same pipeline:
- An external pinger that tracks every server on the platform around the clock. No setup required, works whether you've claimed your server or not. It starts collecting before the platform opens, so there's real history behind both the rankings and your own data from day one.
- An optional plugin (open source, MIT licensed) for Paper, Spigot, Folia, Velocity, BungeeCord, and NeoForge, that reports verified metrics from inside the server: performance, player activity, the things an external ping can't see. It's outbound-only, never accepts inbound connections or commands, and the README documents every field it sends, so you don't have to take my word for it.
For players, that data ranks the directory. For owners, the same data becomes an analytics dashboard. Servers running the plugin get a verified badge and the richer signal; servers without it are still measured, listed, and ranked. Nobody's locked out for not installing anything. The two sources also cross-reference each other, which makes the rankings meaningfully harder to game than a vote counter.
Cost
Being measured is free. Claiming your server is free. The plugin and core analytics are free, and stay that way: the platform is only as good as its coverage, and paywalling the data everything runs on would defeat the point.
Longer term there'll probably be paid tiers for things like advanced analytics or community-page customisation, but the core directory, plugin, dashboard, and verified ranking are not going behind a paywall. I'd rather say that now than have anyone sign up assuming otherwise.
Where things are
- Architecture and data model are settled
- The external pinger is built and will be collecting ahead of launch
- The directory goes live soon, seeded with servers we're already measuring; you'll be able to claim yours (simple MOTD token check) or add it
- The plugin is nearly done and the code is already public, targeting 1.21.x and 26.1.x; the closed beta around it, including the analytics dashboard, follows once the platform can receive its data
Community features (profiles, community pages, applications) are on the roadmap for later phases, but the priority right now is getting the measurement pipeline and discovery right.
What signing up actually means
- An email when the platform opens and when the beta does
- Occasional build updates if you want them
- The chance to weigh in on what gets prioritised while things are still movable
If that sounds worth it: https://cartograph.gg
And if you've got thoughts, criticisms, "this won't work because X," or things you've always wanted from a server list or an analytics tool and never got, the thread is open. That's genuinely the most useful kind of reply at this stage.
Cheers, Ollie
- Type
- Offering
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