Disclaimer This post is based on public information and my own opinions. Everything here is alleged unless verified through public sources. Readers should do their own research and form their own conclusions. This post is for commentary and discussion only and not meant to harm or defame anyone.

Update I left the Pyro Discord Server on 12/12/2025, I originally joined 11/13/2024 and reached level 38 before leaving the server, clearly, I was a yapper on the Discord Server and was there during many things that have happened in Pyro, which probably gives this post more credibility based on common sense.

That time of the year again

Hey everyone, it’s that time again, time for me to share my thoughts on a host.

Today we’re talking about Pyro, a server host you might have heard of. Pyro was great when it started and even partnered with Modrinth. But now there are some problems that are hard to ignore.

Vibe Coding (AI generated code)

Pyro is known for making their own software, but lately Ellie, their CEO, has been using AI tools to write a lot of code. You can see this on their public GitHub projects like Elytra, which is Pyro’s fork of Wings, and Pyrodactyl, which is their fork of Pterodactyl.

For example, the GitHub account ChecksumDev, which belongs to Ellie, has commits that look like they were made using Claude, an AI coding assistant. One example is commit fdaeb08 on the Elytra repo. There’s a comment there that says // Use FormatUnknown to let tar writer choose the best format for each entry It looks like something AI would generate.

Using AI isn’t bad by itself. AI can help with development, but in this case it seems like a lot of the code is written and committed straight from AI without much review. Based on what’s public, a big part of Elytra and Pyrodactyl looks AI assisted, and the result has been a buggy experience lately.

You can see this yourself in these commits.

• pyrohost/elytra | 7871cbd
• pyrohost/pyrodactyl | 22bc0ac
• pyrohost/pyrodactyl | eaefd57
• pyrohost/elytra | a1dae3d

Anyone can go through the public repos and check how much of the code looks machine written.

Ellie, after a talk on the TOS problem (mentioned in the next section) on the pyro server, mentioned the 3 2 1 backup rule.

That's funny, because based on recent customer reports, Pyrodactyl's new backup system seems to be broken.

The ToS problem

Pyro updated its Terms of Service on September 19, 2025, effective October 1, 2025. The part that stands out says:

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR OUR SERVICES SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU FOR SERVICES IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100), WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

and

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY DATA LOSS, CORRUPTION, OR UNAVAILABILITY, WHETHER DUE TO YOUR FAILURE TO BACKUP DATA OR ANY OTHER REASON.

In simple terms, if you lose your data, you can’t get it back and you won’t get any compensation beyond your service cost. So if you spent $700 last year, all you’d get back is that money, nothing for lost data, so if you had feet pics in your Pyro server, they are done for. You get no money for your feet pics and you lose them, now you are going to have to re-take them :(

Ellie has said that the ToS is like this because Pyro is a small company and doesn’t want to get sued. But smaller hosts exist with fairer terms and lower prices, so that argument doesn’t really hold up.

Allegedly not paying employees

It has been alleged that most of the Pyro team is under 18. There are also claims that some contributors are not paid and that their work is treated as “work experience.”

A message from Lio, who has the “Pyro Executive” role in Pyro’s public Discord server, said that the Pyro team is not paid at this time. The message can be viewed in the Pyro Discord here: https://discord.gg/Y2wfR47XEq and this message: Message URL of the message shown in the image.

If that statement is accurate, it raises questions about how the company handles compensation, especially given its pricing. I have not seen any public statement from Pyro correcting or clarifying this, so it’s fair to assume that’s the situation for now.

If you are under 18 and working at Pyro, keep in mind that in most places, legal contracts signed by minors can be voided. That means any NDA you signed may not actually bind you, and you’re free to walk away if you want to.

Conclusion

Pyro used to be great, but lately it hasn’t been run well. Too much AI-generated code, a harsh ToS, underage team members, no pay, and high prices don’t make a good mix.

If you’re part of the Pyro team, you don’t have to stay. You’ve got talent, and you could work somewhere else or get an internship at a bigger company. Don’t fall for the “work experience” idea if you’re not being compensated fairly, and if free servers are a good compensation for you, go ahead, but your work might be ruined.

If you’re a Pyro customer, wait for them to see this and see what way they will take the company next, no need to switch next. If there is no change, you might want to start looking for a new server host that isn't as buggy and has a better ToS, as Pyro's Buggy backups and that TOS clause don't go well together, for example, PrismNodes offers similar performance at around five dollars less, and they have been around for multiple years.

And if you’re reading this, Ellie, maybe take this as feedback. There’s still time to turn Pyro around.

Disclaimer

This post is based on public information and my personal opinions. Everything here is alleged unless verified independently. It is written for commentary and discussion, not to harm or defame anyone.

**Note: **This post was edited using AI in various sections for legal protection.