The problem
On a busy token, other bots can see your pending swap and trade around it, buying before you and selling after you so you get a worse price. That is a sandwich attack, see what slippage is.
How protection works
Instead of broadcasting a trade publicly, a bot can send it privately, often as a Jito bundle with a tip, to validators that do not leak it. A higher tip, called a bribe in some tools, can improve the chance the bundle lands.
What tools say
- BonkBot: protection is on by default, off is a low-latency route with higher risk, and its docs recommend keeping it on.
- Axiom: Off and Reduced modes, where Reduced uses Jito but some risk remains, and a higher bribe improves safety without being fully effective.
- Trojan: protection hides your transaction and routes it to trusted validators, and turning it off may be faster but less protected.
Trade-offs
Protection can cost a little speed and a tip. See the settings guides for BonkBot, Axiom and Trojan.