How to run a Discord bot in Node.js on hosting

A Node.js bot server installs the libraries from package.json and runs the bot's start file on every start. The example uses discord.js (opens in a new tab), but you run a bot in another library, such as Eris or Oceanic.js, the same way.

The client panel is available in Polish only, so this article gives its labels in Polish with a translation the first time they appear.

Before you start

You need a bot created in the Discord Developer Portal and its token. How to create a Discord bot shows how to get them.

The bot's files

In the Pliki (Files) tab, create three files: click Nowy plik (New file), paste the content, click Stwórz plik (Create file) and enter the name. You can upload files from your computer with Wgraj plik (Upload file) or over SFTP. Don't upload the node_modules folder, the server installs the libraries itself.

The token in a .env file

Keep the token in a .env file, not in the code. That way it doesn't leak when you show someone the code or push it to GitHub.

TOKEN=<your-token>

The bot's code

An index.js file with a bot that logs in to Discord and answers the /ping command. process.loadEnvFile() loads the token from the .env file with no extra libraries.

process.loadEnvFile();

const { Client, Events, GatewayIntentBits, SlashCommandBuilder } = require("discord.js");

const client = new Client({ intents: [GatewayIntentBits.Guilds] });

const ping = new SlashCommandBuilder()
	.setName("ping")
	.setDescription("Checks that the bot responds");

client.once(Events.ClientReady, async (readyClient) => {
	await readyClient.application.commands.set([ping.toJSON()]);
	console.log(`Logged in as ${readyClient.user.tag}`);
});

client.on(Events.InteractionCreate, async (interaction) => {
	if (!interaction.isChatInputCommand()) return;
	if (interaction.commandName === "ping") {
		await interaction.reply(`Pong! ${client.ws.ping} ms`);
	}
});

client.login(process.env.TOKEN);

The list of libraries

A package.json file with the libraries in the dependencies section:

{
  "name": "my-bot",
  "private": true,
  "main": "index.js",
  "dependencies": {
    "discord.js": "^14.28.1"
  }
}

Starting the bot

Click Uruchom (Start) in the Konsola (Console) tab. The server installs the libraries with npm install and runs index.js. When you see Logged in as, the bot is online on Discord.

Server settings

In the Parametry startowe (Startup parameters) tab, you can change how the server runs the bot:

• Wersja środowiska (Obraz Docker) (Environment version): the Node.js version, from 12 to 26. discord.js 14 needs at least Node.js 18, and process.loadEnvFile() at least 20.12. The change takes effect after the server restarts.
• Plik startowy (Start file): the file the server runs. index.js by default. If your bot starts from bot.js or src/index.js, enter that path here.
• Dodatkowe biblioteki NodeJS (Extra Node.js libraries): libraries to install on start, separated by spaces, such as dayjs mongoose. The server adds them to package.json.
• Odinstaluj biblioteki NodeJS (Uninstall Node.js libraries): libraries to remove on start, also separated by spaces.
• Dodatkowe argumenty (Extra arguments): arguments passed to the bot after the file name.

Libraries

The server installs the libraries from package.json. If you also upload the package-lock.json file, npm install installs exactly the versions you have locally, so the bot behaves the same after a restart.

You can add a new library in two ways:

• On your computer: run npm install <name> in the bot's folder, then upload the new package.json and package-lock.json.
• In the panel: enter the name in the Dodatkowe biblioteki NodeJS field and restart the server. After the install, you can clear the field, because the library is already in package.json.

TypeScript

If you enter a .ts file, such as index.ts, in the Plik startowy field, the server runs it with ts-node, without compiling first. For bigger projects, it's better to compile on your computer with tsc and enter the compiled .js file as the start file, such as dist/index.js.

Common problems