What Self Hosted runs
One process. Windows operators get a signed installer and a control panel app; Linux operators get a single-file Node or Bun bundle. The shard registers its public URL with central, polls for guild config, and starts routing.
What Centrally Hosted runs
Star Comms provisions and operates the shard after Command Net Supporter entitlement checks (Patreon linked to Discord in the Star Comms support server). You keep normal shard admin controls without installing a host or managing ports.
The security model
Central issues one secret scsh_ token bound to exactly one Discord guild. A Self Hosted shard stores only that token and a public URL. It never sees bot tokens, Discord client secrets, website credentials, or other orgs' traffic.
Automatic fallback
If the shard goes down, clients fall back to central routing so the op can continue. Central probes the shard every 15 seconds and returns traffic when it is healthy again.
UDP voice routing
Dedicated shards run their own UDP voice router for the lowest-latency path, while mixed WebSocket and UDP clients on the same net still hear each other.
ACARS broadcasts
Premium shards can push ACARS-style text alerts straight onto every connected client's overlay — rally points, retreat calls, scheduled jumps — from the admin client or, on Self Hosted, the API.