Install a Discord server

Step-by-step installation

1. 1

   Enable two-factor authentication on your Discord account and install a current LTS version of Node.js (or Python) on your machine.

2. 2

   Create an application at discord.com/developers/applications (New Application).

3. 3

   Bot tab: generate the token (Reset Token) and copy it once into a password manager or a .env file.

4. 4

   Enable only the Privileged Gateway Intents you actually use (Presence, Server Members, Message Content).

5. 5

   Generate the invite link (bot + applications.commands scopes, minimal permissions) with the “Bot invite link” tool.

6. 6

   Open the link, pick your server (Manage Server permission required) and authorize.

7. 7

   Write a minimal bot (discord.js) and test it locally with the token in .env.

8. 8

   Prepare a Linux VPS: non-root user, firewall, Node.js (see the “Prepare a VPS” guide).

9. 9

   Deploy the code, put the token in a .env file (chmod 600) and run the bot with systemd, pm2 or Docker.

10. 10

    Configure the community server: roles, channels, permissions, webhooks and moderation.

Prerequisites

You need a Discord account (with 2FA), a server you own or administer, and Node.js LTS (or Python): check the minimum version required by the discord.js release you install. For hosting: a Linux VPS (1 vCPU and 512 MB to 1 GB RAM are usually enough for a small bot, adjust to your code). Never share the bot token: it gives full control of the bot.

Create the application and the bot

• discord.com/developers/applications → New Application → name → Create.
• General Information: copy the Application ID (the public client_id).
• Bot → Reset Token → copy the token (shown only once).
• If the token leaks (public Git repo, screenshot…), immediately click Reset Token.

Protect the token (.env)

Never put the token in the code. Use a .env file excluded from Git and readable only by your user. Example (dummy value):

echo 'DISCORD_TOKEN=ChangeMe!' > .env
chmod 600 .env
echo '.env' >> .gitignore

Privileged Intents

• Server Members Intent: member join/leave events and the full member list.
• Message Content Intent: reading message text (not needed if you only use slash commands).
• Presence Intent: member presence statuses.
• Beyond a certain number of servers (100 per Discord's policy at the time of writing), these intents require bot verification: check the current policy.

Invite the bot

The invite link looks like this (dummy client_id, permissions = 3072: view and write in channels). Compute the integer with the permissions calculator and assemble the link with the dedicated tool:

https://discord.com/oauth2/authorize?client_id=123456789012345678&scope=bot%20applications.commands&permissions=3072

Minimal bot (discord.js)

Install: npm init -y && npm install discord.js dotenv. File index.js (see discordjs.guide for the up-to-date API):

require('dotenv').config();
const { Client, Events, GatewayIntentBits } = require('discord.js');

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

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

client.login(process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN);

Host with systemd

File /etc/systemd/system/discord-bot.service (adapt User and paths; check node's path with “which node”). Then: sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo systemctl enable --now discord-bot; logs: journalctl -u discord-bot -f.

[Unit]
Description=Discord bot
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=botuser
WorkingDirectory=/home/botuser/bot
EnvironmentFile=/home/botuser/bot/.env
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node index.js
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Host with pm2

pm2 restarts the process if it crashes. The “pm2 startup” command prints a sudo command to run so pm2 starts at boot.

sudo npm install -g pm2
pm2 start index.js --name discord-bot
pm2 save
pm2 startup
pm2 logs discord-bot

Host with Docker

Dockerfile below (match the Node version to the one discord.js requires). Build and run with the token passed through an env file: docker build -t discord-bot . && docker run -d --restart unless-stopped --env-file .env --name discord-bot discord-bot

FROM node:lts-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm ci --omit=dev
COPY . .
USER node
CMD ["node", "index.js"]

Set up the community server

• Roles: create roles by function (admin, moderator, member) and grant minimal permissions; the bot's role must sit above the roles it manages.
• Channels: categories (welcome, rules, general, support, voice) and permissions per category rather than per channel.
• Webhooks: to post your game servers' status, build the embed with the “Webhook embed builder” tool.
• Moderation: verification level, AutoMod, audit log; enable the 2FA requirement for moderators in server settings.
• Visibility: list your game server on game-rank.com/jeux to get discovered.

Troubleshooting

• “TokenInvalid” / “An invalid token was provided”: wrong token, stray space, or token was reset. Re-copy it via Reset Token.
• “Used disallowed intents”: enable the matching privileged intent in the Bot tab, or remove it from the code.
• “Missing Access” / “Missing Permissions”: the bot lacks permission in that channel or its role is too low in the hierarchy.
• Slash commands don't appear: the applications.commands scope was missing from the invite, or commands aren't registered (deployment); re-invite the bot with the right link.
• The bot disconnects on the VPS: read the logs (journalctl -u discord-bot -f), check available memory and that Restart=on-failure is set.

Frequently asked questions

Is a Discord bot free?

Creating a bot in the Developer Portal is free. Only hosting (a VPS or an always-on machine) may cost a few euros per month.

What if my token leaked?

Immediately click Reset Token in the Bot tab, update your .env file, restart the bot and check the server's audit log.

systemd, pm2 or Docker?

systemd is lightest and built into Linux; pm2 is handy if you run several Node.js processes; Docker isolates the environment and makes deployment reproducible. All three restart the bot after a crash.

Do I need an open port to host a bot?

No: the bot opens an outgoing connection to Discord itself. Only the SSH port needs to stay reachable for administration (unless you expose a web server).