Getting Started

Welcome to VotePipe! This comprehensive guide will help you set up vote notifications for your Hytale server in under 5 minutes.

What is VotePipe?

VotePipe is a webhook bridge service that connects server list websites (like Hytale-Servers.pro) to your Discord server and game server. When players vote on your server list, VotePipe automatically:

Receives the vote webhook from the server list
Validates and processes the vote
Sends a notification to your Discord channel
Optionally forwards vote data to your game server for in-game rewards

Why Use VotePipe?

Instead of managing webhooks directly from each server list, VotePipe centralizes everything. You configure providers once, and all votes flow through a single, reliable service with automatic retries, error handling, and detailed analytics.

How It Works

Here's the complete flow of what happens when a player votes:

Player Votes

A player votes on your server on a server list website (e.g., Hytale-Servers.pro)

Server List Sends Webhook

The server list sends a webhook to VotePipe at https://hooks.votepipe.com/your-org/provider-key

VotePipe Processes Vote

VotePipe verifies the webhook signature, extracts the voter name, and creates a vote record

Discord Notification

VotePipe sends a notification to your configured Discord webhook (if enabled)

Server Callback (Optional)

If configured, VotePipe sends vote data to your game server for in-game rewards (Growth+ plans)

Step 1: Add a Provider

Providers are integrations with server list websites. Each provider has a unique webhook URL that the server list will send votes to.

1. Navigate to Providers

Go to Providers in the dashboard and click Add Provider.

2. Select a Template

Choose from available provider templates (e.g., Hytale-Servers.pro, HytaleCharts). Each template is pre-configured with the correct authentication method and payload format.

Why templates? Each server list uses different authentication methods:

Header: Authorization token in HTTP header (Hytale-Servers.pro)
HMAC: Cryptographic signature (HytaleCharts)
Query: Token in URL query parameter
URL Path: Token as part of the URL path

3. Configure Provider

After selecting a template, you'll see:

Provider Key: A unique identifier used in your webhook URL (e.g., "hytale-servers-pro")
Display Name: How the provider appears in your dashboard
Secret Key: Authentication secret (shown once - save it immediately!)

4. Copy Your Webhook URL

Your webhook URL will look like:

https://hooks.votepipe.com/your-org-slug/provider-key

This is the URL that the server list will send vote webhooks to. Copy this URL - you'll need it in the next step.

5. Configure Server List

Log in to your server list account and navigate to webhook settings. Paste your VotePipe webhook URL and authentication secret. The exact steps vary by provider:

Important: Save Your Secret Key

The authentication secret is only shown once when you create the provider. If you lose it, you'll need to regenerate it (which requires updating your server list settings). Make sure to save it securely!

Step 2: Configure Discord Notifications

Discord notifications let you see votes in real-time in your Discord server. This is the most common use case for VotePipe.

1. Create a Discord Webhook

In your Discord server:

Go to Server Settings → Integrations → Webhooks
Click New Webhook
Choose the channel where you want vote notifications
Give it a name (e.g., "Vote Notifications")
Click Copy Webhook URL

Discord webhook URLs look like: https://discord.com/api/webhooks/123456789/abcdefghijk...

2. Configure in VotePipe

Go to Settings → Discord and:

Paste your Discord webhook URL
Enable vote notifications (toggle switch)
Click Test Webhook to verify it works
Save your settings

3. Message Format

All plans can customize their Discord message text with variables. Growth+ plans support rich embeds with custom colors, fields, and formatting.

Simple Text Message (All Plans):

🎉 PlayerName just voted on Hytale-Servers.pro!

All plans can customize this message template with variables like {voter_name}, {provider_name}, {vote_id}

Rich Embed (Growth+):

Structured embeds with custom colors, fields, images, and timestamps. Use the visual embed builder or paste JSON from an external builder.Learn more about rich embeds.

Need detailed instructions? Check our Discord webhook setup guide.

Step 3: Test Your Setup

Once you've configured both the provider and Discord, it's time to test!

1. Vote on Your Server

Go to the server list website and vote on your server. This will trigger the webhook flow.

2. Check Discord

Within a few seconds, you should see a notification appear in your Discord channel! 🎉

3. Verify in Dashboard

Check the Votes page to see the vote record, including Discord notification status and callback status (if configured).

Success Indicators

Vote appears in your Discord channel
Vote shows as "sent" status in the dashboard
No error messages in the vote details

Troubleshooting

If you don't see a notification:

Verify the provider is enabled in VotePipe
Check that the webhook URL is correct in your server list settings
Ensure Discord notifications are enabled
Check the vote status in the dashboard for error messages

See our troubleshooting guide for more help.

Understanding Key Concepts

To get the most out of VotePipe, it helps to understand how everything fits together:

Providers

Providers are integrations with server list websites. Each provider represents one server list (e.g., Hytale-Servers.pro, HytaleCharts).

Key Points:

Each provider has a unique webhook URL that the server list sends votes to
Providers use different authentication methods (HMAC, header, query, etc.)
Each provider has a voter path that tells VotePipe where to find the player name in the payload
You can have multiple providers (limit depends on your plan)
Providers can be enabled/disabled without deleting them

Webhooks

Webhooks are HTTP callbacks that allow one service to notify another when an event occurs. In VotePipe's case, server lists send webhooks when players vote.

How It Works:

Server list receives a vote from a player
Server list sends an HTTP POST request to your VotePipe webhook URL
VotePipe authenticates the request using the configured method
VotePipe extracts the voter name and processes the vote
VotePipe responds with 200 OK (even if silently ignored due to limits)

Why webhooks? They're real-time, efficient, and don't require polling. The server list immediately notifies VotePipe when a vote happens.

Server Callbacks

Server callbacks (Growth+ plans) allow VotePipe to send vote data directly to your game server, enabling automatic in-game rewards.

How It Works:

VotePipe receives a vote webhook
After processing, VotePipe sends a POST request to your configured callback URL
Your game server receives the vote data (voter name, provider, timestamp)
Your server can then give rewards, update databases, etc.

Retry Logic: If your server is temporarily unavailable, VotePipe automatically retries the callback. All plans get 5 immediate retries. Pro+ plans also get delayed retries over 1-4 hours.

Learn more about server callbacks

Vote Processing Flow

When VotePipe receives a vote webhook, here's what happens behind the scenes:

Signature Verification: Cryptographically verify the webhook authenticity using HMAC-SHA256

Voter Extraction: Extract the player name from the payload using the configured path

Vote Processing: Create vote record and queue notifications immediately

Plan Limits: Check if you're within your monthly vote limit (with grace period)

Record Creation: Create a vote record with a unique public ID

Queue Notifications: Queue Discord notification and server callback (if configured)

Usage Tracking: Increment your monthly vote counter

Optional: Advanced Features

Server Callbacks (Growth+)

Automatically send vote data to your game server for in-game rewards. Configure a callback URL in Settings → Callback.

API Access (Growth+)

Access your vote data programmatically using REST API. Create API keys in Settings → API Keys.

Analytics & Leaderboards (Pro+)

View detailed statistics, top voters leaderboard, and individual voter analytics. Available on Pro+ plans.

Next Steps

Now that you're set up, here are some things you might want to explore:

Add More Providers

Configure additional server lists to receive votes from multiple sources

Add Provider

Configure Admin Notifications

Set up a separate Discord webhook for admin alerts (usage warnings, failures, etc.)

Configure

Explore the API

Integrate VotePipe with your own tools and scripts using the REST API

View API Docs

Need Help?

If you run into any issues, check out our comprehensive guides:

Troubleshooting Guide - Common issues and solutions
Provider Setup Guides - Detailed instructions for each server list
Discord Setup - Webhook configuration help
Server Callbacks - Setting up in-game rewards

Understanding Plan Limits

Each plan has different limits for votes, providers, and features. Learn more about:

→ Usage Limits & Grace Periods → Pricing Plans Comparison