Which files do I need to upload for my discord.js bot?

Upload your index.js and package.json (for the discord.js dependency) to the service directory, either through the built-in file manager or using the file upload option.

Build Your Own Discord Bot with discord.js

Q: Why aren't my slash commands showing up?

Commands registered globally via Routes.applicationCommands() can take up to an hour to appear everywhere in Discord. To test them, register commands directly for a single server using Routes.applicationGuildCommands() instead.

Learn how to build your own Discord bot with JavaScript and discord.js, step by step, and deploy it on ZapX.

10 November 20263 min read0 Views0 helpful

Introduction

In this guide, you'll build your own Discord bot from scratch using JavaScript and the discord.js library. You'll register the bot application in the Discord Developer Portal, write a working basic setup with a custom slash command, and then deploy the finished bot on your ZapX Discord Bot Hosting. Basic knowledge of JavaScript/Node.js is helpful, but not required.

Build Your Own Discord Bot with discord.js

Preparation

Before you start coding, you'll need a bot application on Discord:

Open the Discord Developer Portal and click New Application. Give your bot a name.
In the menu on the left, go to the Bot tab. Here, you can find your bot's Token by clicking Reset Token. Copy the token and keep it safe—it gives full access to your bot and must never be included in your code or shared publicly.
On the same page, under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable Message Content Intent if your bot should respond to message content.
Also note the Application ID under General Information—you'll need it to register slash commands.
Go to the OAuth2 → URL Generator tab. Select the bot scope as well as applications.commands, then select the permissions your bot needs and open the generated link to invite the bot to your own Discord server.

Write the Bot in JavaScript

Create a new Node.js project and install discord.js:

bash

npm init -y
npm install discord.js

Create an index.js file and set up the basic structure of your bot:

javascript

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

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

const commands = [
  new SlashCommandBuilder().setName("hallo").setDescription("Begrüßt dich mit einer kurzen Nachricht"),
].map( command.());

 rest =  ({ :  }).(process..);

client.(,  () => {
   rest.(.(client..), { : commands });
  .();
});

client.(,  (interaction) => {
   (!interaction.()) ;
   (interaction. === ) {
     interaction.();
  }
});

client.(process..);

Deploy the Bot on ZapX Discord Bot Hosting

Create a new Discord bot service in the ZapX customer panel if you haven't already.
In the configuration, select Node.js (current LTS version) as the runtime.
Upload your index.js and package.json (for the discord.js dependency) to the service directory using either the built-in file manager or the file upload option.

Enter the bot token you created earlier in the Settings tab under Bot Configuration → Discord Bot Token, then save your settings. This keeps your token separate from your code, so you won't need to update it when uploading files again. Your code can still access this value as the DISCORD_TOKEN environment variable.

ZapX Discord bot settings with token field

5. Start the service. If everything is working correctly, your bot will log Bot ist online als ... and appear as "Online" on your Discord server.

Troubleshooting

The bot stays offline: Check that the token is correctly set in the DISCORD_TOKEN environment variable and look for any error messages in the service log.

Slash commands aren't showing up: Commands registered globally via Routes.applicationCommands() can take up to an hour to appear everywhere in Discord. To test them, register commands directly for a single server using Routes.applicationGuildCommands() instead. They will then be available immediately.

"Missing Access" or similar permission errors: The bot doesn't have the necessary permissions on the server. Check the bot's role permissions and make sure you selected the appropriate permissions in the OAuth2 URL Generator when inviting it.

Conclusion

You've now built a functional Discord bot with discord.js, added your own slash command, and deployed it on ZapX Discord Bot Hosting. From here, you can extend the bot with any number of additional commands, moderation features, or integrations.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Create a bot application in the Discord Developer Portal. There, create a New Application, get your token from the Bot tab using 'Reset Token', note the Application ID under General Information, and generate an invite link for your server in the OAuth2 URL Generator using the 'bot' and 'applications.commands' scopes.

The token is deliberately not stored directly in your code. Instead, it's read from the DISCORD_TOKEN environment variable ('process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN'). In ZapX Discord Bot Hosting, enter it in the Settings tab under Bot Configuration -> Discord Bot Token.

Node.js (current LTS version).

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Build Your Own Discord Bot with discord.js

Introduction

Preparation

Write the Bot in JavaScript

Deploy the Bot on ZapX Discord Bot Hosting

Troubleshooting

Conclusion

Frequently asked questions

Discord Bot

Preparation

Deploy the Bot on ZapX Discord Bot Hosting

Troubleshooting

Conclusion

Game Server

Servers & Hosting

ZAPX

Resources

ZAP-Hosting

Write the Bot in JavaScript