Get your Discord bot online in five steps

Deploy your bot safely

The deployment process is divided into five sequential steps. It is important to complete them in order, as each step depends on the previous one being finished correctly. Skipping ahead or performing steps out of sequence is the most common reason deployments fail for new users. Read through all five steps before you begin so you understand the full workflow.

Starter bots

// index.js
const { Client, GatewayIntentBits } = require('discord.js');

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

client.once('ready', () => {
    console.log(`Logged in as ${client.user.tag}`);
});

client.on('messageCreate', (message) => {
    if (message.content === '!ping') {
        message.reply('Pong!');
    }
});

client.login(process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN);

{
  "name": "my-discord-bot",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "discord.js": "^14.14.1"
  }
}

# main.py
import os
import discord
from discord.ext import commands

intents = discord.Intents.default()
intents.message_content = True

bot = commands.Bot(command_prefix='!', intents=intents)

@bot.event
async def on_ready():
    print(f'{bot.user} is online')

@bot.command()
async def ping(ctx):
    await ctx.send('Pong!')

bot.run(os.getenv('DISCORD_TOKEN'))

discord.py==2.3.2

Common issues

Preparing your bot for deployment

Before uploading your bot to MonkeyBytes, it is worth taking some time to ensure your project is structured correctly and that all necessary files are included. A well-organised project is significantly easier to deploy and maintain over time, and it reduces the likelihood of encountering errors during the upload and installation process.

Your project should have a clear entry point file at the root level of your project directory. For Node.js bots, this is typically index.js, bot.js, or app.js. For Python bots, main.py or bot.py are the most common conventions. Alongside this entry file, you need a dependency manifest: package.json for Node.js or requirements.txt for Python. These files tell the package manager exactly which libraries to install and at which versions, ensuring that your bot runs with the same dependencies on the server as it does on your local machine.

If your bot uses additional configuration files, such as a config.json for storing non-sensitive settings like command prefixes or feature flags, make sure these are included in your upload. However, you should never include files that contain secrets such as bot tokens or database passwords in your upload if you are copying from a version-controlled repository. Instead, use environment variables or a .env file as described in the SFTP section above.

For Node.js projects, do not upload the node_modules directory. This folder contains all of your installed dependencies and can be extremely large, often containing thousands of files. Uploading it is slow and unnecessary because you will run npm install on the server, which will recreate the entire node_modules directory from your package.json. Similarly, Python users should not upload virtual environment directories such as venv or .venv. Only upload your source code, your requirements.txt, and any configuration or data files your bot needs.

It is also good practice to test your bot locally before deploying. Run your bot on your own computer first and verify that it connects to Discord, responds to commands, and handles errors gracefully. If your bot does not work locally, it will not work on the server either. Local testing lets you catch issues such as missing dependencies, syntax errors, or incorrect token configuration before you begin the deployment process.

Troubleshooting common deployment issues

Even with careful preparation, you may encounter issues during deployment. This section covers the most common problems that users face when deploying their bots for the first time and provides clear guidance on how to resolve each one.

One of the most frequent issues is the "module not found" error, which appears when your bot tries to import a library that has not been installed on the server. This usually means you forgot to run npm install or pip install -r requirements.txt after uploading your files. It can also occur if your dependency manifest is incomplete. If you added a new library to your project locally but did not update your package.json or requirements.txt, the server will not know to install it. Always verify that every library your bot uses is listed in the appropriate manifest file before uploading.

Token-related errors are another common cause of deployment failures. If your bot logs an error related to authentication, an invalid token, or a disallowed intent, start by verifying that your DISCORD_TOKEN environment variable is set correctly in the panel. Tokens can become invalid if you regenerate them in the Discord Developer Portal after setting them on the server. If you recently reset your token, you must update the value on the server as well. Additionally, ensure that all required Gateway Intents are enabled in the Developer Portal, particularly the Message Content intent if your bot reads message text.

File path errors occur when your bot's code references files using paths that do not match the server's directory structure. On MonkeyBytes, your files are stored in /home/container/, and this is the working directory when your bot starts. If your code uses absolute paths that reference locations on your local machine, such as C:\Users\YourName\bot\data.json, those paths will not exist on the server. Use relative paths instead, such as ./data.json, which will resolve correctly regardless of where the project is hosted.

If your bot starts but immediately stops or enters a restart loop, check the console logs for the specific error message. Common causes include syntax errors in your code that were not caught locally, missing environment variables that your bot expects but cannot find, or port conflicts if your bot attempts to open a web server on a port that is not available. Read the error message carefully, as it will almost always indicate the exact file and line number where the problem occurred.

Permission errors during package installation can sometimes occur if files were uploaded with incorrect permissions or if a previous failed installation left behind lock files. If you encounter this, try deleting the node_modules folder or any __pycache__ directories via SFTP, then run the installation command again from the console. Make sure maintenance mode is enabled while you do this to prevent any conflicts with a running process.