What is the difference between Layer 4 and Layer 7 DDoS attacks, and how do they affect Minecraft servers?

Layer 4 attacks target the network layer (IP addresses and ports), flooding the server with connection requests. Layer 7 attacks target the application layer (HTTP/HTTPS requests), exploiting vulnerabilities in the Minecraft server software or plugins. Both can render the server unavailable, but Layer 7 attacks are often more sophisticated and harder to detect.