Complete Guide to Discord Bot Hosting in 2025

Discord bots power communities by automating tasks, moderating content, and enhancing user experience. This guide covers everything you need to host your Discord bot professionally.

Why Host Your Bot?

Free hosting has limitations:

Replit/Glitch: Sleep after inactivity
Heroku Free: Discontinued
Self-hosting: Requires 24/7 computer

Professional hosting offers:

✅ 99.9% uptime guarantee
✅ Auto-restart on crashes
✅ No sleep/downtime
✅ Scalable resources
✅ Professional support

Choosing Your Language

Node.js (Discord.js)

Best for: Beginners, JavaScript developers

const { Client, GatewayIntentBits } = require('discord.js');
const client = new Client({
  intents: [
    GatewayIntentBits.Guilds,
    GatewayIntentBits.GuildMessages
  ]
});

client.on('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);

Pros:

Easy to learn
Large community
Fast development
Many libraries

Python (discord.py)

Best for: Python developers, AI bots

import discord
from discord.ext import commands
import os

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

@bot.event
async def on_ready():
    print(f'Logged in as {bot.user.name}')

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

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

Pros:

Clean syntax
Great for AI/ML
Excellent for data processing
Strong libraries

Bot Setup Prerequisites

1. Create Discord Application

Go to Discord Developer Portal
Click “New Application”
Enable required intents:
- Presence Intent
- Server Members Intent
- Message Content Intent
Copy bot token (keep it secret!)

2. Required Files

package.json (Node.js)

{
  "name": "my-discord-bot",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "main": "index.js",
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js"
  },
  "dependencies": {
    "discord.js": "^14.14.1",
    "dotenv": "^16.3.1"
  }
}

requirements.txt (Python)

discord.py==2.3.2
python-dotenv==1.0.0
aiohttp==3.9.1

3. Environment Variables

.env file

DISCORD_TOKEN=your_bot_token_here
PREFIX=!
GUILD_ID=your_server_id

Never commit tokens to Git!

Deployment Best Practices

Project Structure

my-bot/
├── commands/
│   ├── moderation.js
│   ├── fun.js
│   └── utility.js
├── events/
│   ├── ready.js
│   └── messageCreate.js
├── config/
│   └── config.json
├── .env
├── .gitignore
├── index.js
└── package.json

Error Handling

// Proper error handling
process.on('unhandledRejection', error => {
  console.error('Unhandled promise rejection:', error);
});

client.on('error', error => {
  console.error('Discord client error:', error);
});

// Graceful shutdown
process.on('SIGTERM', () => {
  console.log('SIGTERM received, closing bot gracefully');
  client.destroy();
  process.exit(0);
});

Auto-Restart Configuration

PM2 (Process Manager)

{
  "apps": [{
    "name": "discord-bot",
    "script": "index.js",
    "watch": false,
    "max_restarts": 10,
    "restart_delay": 5000,
    "autorestart": true
  }]
}

Resource Requirements

Bot Size Guidelines

Bot Users	RAM	CPU	Plan
1-10 servers	512MB	0.25 vCPU	Starter
10-50 servers	1GB	0.5 vCPU	Pro
50-100 servers	2GB	1 vCPU	Premium
100+ servers	4GB+	2+ vCPU	Custom

Memory Optimization

// Use cache wisely
client.options.makeCache = Options.cacheWithLimits({
  MessageManager: 200, // Cache last 200 messages
  PresenceManager: 0,  // Don't cache presences
  GuildMemberManager: 0 // Don't cache all members
});

// Sweep cache periodically
setInterval(() => {
  const guilds = client.guilds.cache.size;
  client.guilds.cache.sweep(guild => guild.id !== 'main_guild_id');
  console.log(`Swept ${guilds - client.guilds.cache.size} guilds`);
}, 3600000); // Every hour

Popular Bot Features

Moderation Commands

// Kick command
client.on('messageCreate', async message => {
  if (message.content.startsWith('!kick')) {
    if (!message.member.permissions.has('KICK_MEMBERS')) {
      return message.reply('You need kick permissions!');
    }

    const member = message.mentions.members.first();
    if (!member) return message.reply('Please mention a user');

    await member.kick();
    message.reply(`${member.user.tag} has been kicked`);
  }
});

Welcome Messages

client.on('guildMemberAdd', member => {
  const channel = member.guild.channels.cache.find(
    ch => ch.name === 'welcome'
  );

  if (!channel) return;

  channel.send(
    `Welcome to the server, ${member}! We now have ${member.guild.memberCount} members!`
  );
});

Economy System

const economy = new Map();

client.on('messageCreate', async message => {
  if (message.content === '!daily') {
    const userId = message.author.id;
    const amount = 100;

    economy.set(userId, (economy.get(userId) || 0) + amount);
    message.reply(`You received ${amount} coins! Total: ${economy.get(userId)}`);
  }
});

Security Best Practices

1. Token Protection

// ❌ BAD
const token = 'MTIzNDU2Nzg5MDEyMzQ1Njc4.ABCDEF.GHIJKLMNOP';

// ✅ GOOD
require('dotenv').config();
const token = process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN;

2. Permission Checks

// Always verify permissions
if (!message.member.permissions.has('ADMINISTRATOR')) {
  return message.reply('Admin only!');
}

3. Rate Limiting

const cooldowns = new Map();

client.on('messageCreate', message => {
  if (cooldowns.has(message.author.id)) {
    return message.reply('Please wait before using this command again');
  }

  cooldowns.set(message.author.id, true);
  setTimeout(() => cooldowns.delete(message.author.id), 5000);
});

Slash Commands (Modern Approach)

const { SlashCommandBuilder } = require('discord.js');

const data = new SlashCommandBuilder()
  .setName('ping')
  .setDescription('Replies with Pong!');

async function execute(interaction) {
  await interaction.reply('Pong!');
}

module.exports = { data, execute };

Database Integration

SQLite (Simple)

const sqlite3 = require('sqlite3').verbose();
const db = new sqlite3.Database('bot.db');

db.run(`CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS users (
  id TEXT PRIMARY KEY,
  coins INTEGER DEFAULT 0
)`);

MongoDB (Scalable)

const mongoose = require('mongoose');

mongoose.connect(process.env.MONGODB_URI);

const userSchema = new mongoose.Schema({
  userId: String,
  coins: { type: Number, default: 0 }
});

const User = mongoose.model('User', userSchema);

Monitoring & Logging

// Log bot statistics
setInterval(() => {
  console.log(`
    Servers: ${client.guilds.cache.size}
    Users: ${client.users.cache.size}
    Channels: ${client.channels.cache.size}
    Memory: ${(process.memoryUsage().heapUsed / 1024 / 1024).toFixed(2)} MB
  `);
}, 3600000); // Every hour

Common Issues & Solutions

Bot Goes Offline

Check token validity
Verify intents are enabled
Check error logs
Ensure auto-restart is configured

High Memory Usage

Implement cache sweeping
Limit message caching
Disable unused intents
Use efficient data structures

Slow Response Times

Optimize database queries
Use async/await properly
Implement command cooldowns
Upgrade hosting plan

Deployment Checklist

Hosting Your Bot with Mamba Host

Our Discord bot hosting includes:

✅ 24/7 uptime monitoring
✅ Auto-restart on crashes
✅ Node.js & Python support
✅ FTP/SFTP access
✅ Environment variables editor
✅ Real-time logs
✅ Database support

View Discord Bot Hosting Plans

Last updated: September 28, 2025