Does Discord log users' IP addresses and for what purpose?
Executive summary
Discord (the company) operates many IP-addressed networks and records connection IPs for platform functions such as login history and bans; users cannot directly see other users’ IPs through Discord itself — IPs are exposed only when a user clicks external links or uses third‑party tooling that captures visit data (sources: [1], [3], p1_s6). Third‑party “IP grabbers” and link-based resolvers work because web servers log visitors’ IPs; some community tools and scripts send those logs into Discord channels via webhooks (sources: [4], [7], [5]0).
1. Discord logs IPs for platform operations (what the company records)
Discord runs many IP blocks and infrastructure addresses (example: the 66.22.192.0/18 block) showing it controls large IPv4 ranges for its service [1]. Community posts and Discord support pages indicate Discord records login history and shows related IP information in administrative or security contexts such as account login history and audit events [2]. Available sources do not describe Discord’s internal retention policies or all purposes for which Discord stores IPs beyond these operational signals; those specifics are not found in current reporting.
2. Discord does not expose other users’ IPs via the product itself
Multiple community and security writeups say there is no built‑in method for one Discord user to obtain another user’s IP through normal use of the app — connections go through Discord servers rather than peer‑to‑peer — so Discord does not expose IPs to other users as part of its standard client behavior [3] [4]. That is why many online “Discord IP resolver” services that claim to fetch an ID‑to‑IP mapping are labeled scams or misdescribed: they rely on tricking a user into visiting an external URL, not on accessing Discord’s internal logs [4].
3. How attackers actually get IPs: link traps and web logging
The practical route for an attacker is to get a target to click a link that the attacker controls; every web server logs visitor IPs, so a crafted URL or redirect can capture and display that IP to the attacker [4]. Guides and blogs that explain “how to get someone’s IP from Discord” typically instruct readers to create tracking links, use OAuth redirects, or paste Discord IDs into grabber tools — methods that work only if the target loads the attacker’s page or a malicious redirect [5] [6].
4. Community tools and webhook logging amplify the problem
There are open‑source scripts and GitHub projects that make it straightforward to record visitor IPs and forward them into Discord channels via webhooks; some projects explicitly advertise logging IPs to Discord for monitoring or “dashboard” purposes [7] [8]. That means an attacker can combine a lure inside Discord with a small web page plus a webhook to centralize captured IPs into an observable Discord channel [8] [7].
5. IP bans, anti‑abuse systems and user impact
Site operators (and Discord itself) can ban by IP address. Community guides and posts explain that Discord issues IP‑based bans that will block all connections from a network, which is why restarting a router, switching networks, or using a VPN are common remediation suggestions [9] [10]. These sources frame IP bans as a blunt instrument that affects everyone behind the same NAT or ISP assignment [9].
6. Practical advice and the limits of available reporting
Sources agree on two practical protections: don’t click untrusted links and use a VPN if you need to obscure your client IP from web pages [4] [6]. The reporting here does not include Discord’s full internal logging or privacy policy text; specifics about which Discord employees can access IP logs, legal retention windows, or enterprise data‑sharing practices are not found in current reporting and therefore cannot be asserted (not found in current reporting).
7. Competing viewpoints and motives in the sources
Security blogs and Discord community posts converge on the claim that Discord itself doesn’t leak user IPs, while commercial “how‑to” sites sometimes promote IP grabbers or URL‑based trackers as effective — those pages effectively teach social‑engineering attacks (p1_s6 versus [5], p1_s7). Open‑source projects that facilitate logging [7] [8] are neutral tools technically useful for legitimate analytics but can be repurposed for abuse; that dual‑use nature underlies the differing emphases across sources.
Summary: Discord records connection IPs for operational and security functions and uses large IP blocks for its service [1] [2]. Ordinary users cannot retrieve other users’ IPs inside Discord; IP exposure to other users only happens when a user visits an external resource or is tricked into revealing it, and many online “resolvers” rely on that trickery [3] [4] [5].