Ask HN: Why are Discord servers called “servers”? Is it due to the architecture?

I wonder if each server is an actual server from a tech standpoint. If not, isn't it a daunting name for new users? Before I became a user, for a long time I thought Discord was an open source protocol where everybody can start their own server by setting up and hosting the server which stores all the chat histories, which is too formidable to venture into.

They could have kept the ambiguity but used a more relevant term like "domains".

I guess that this is also a good marketing move: anyone can start a new server. It gives you a sense of power - you have your server, and it is super easy to set it up.

It's a social engineering move, that distracts from actual operation/ownership of your data. You feel like you're running server, with a bit of the power/headaches involved, but you're not. The users are validated across all discord instances, you don't do that on your own, so it takes care of some headaches of administration.

It's a closed garden, though. Never forget that.