How to host a Discord bot (discord.js and discord.py) and fix common errors

Hosting runs your bot all day so it doesn't depend on your own PC.

Before you upload

• Create your bot in the Discord Developer Portal and copy its token.
• Never put the token in your code or share it. Store it as an environment variable named something like TOKEN.

Node.js (discord.js)

1. Upload your files, including package.json.
2. Install dependencies with npm install.
3. Set the start command, for example node index.js.
4. Add your TOKEN as an environment variable and start the bot.

Python (discord.py)

1. Upload your files and requirements.txt.
2. Install with pip install -r requirements.txt.
3. Set the start command, for example python bot.py.
4. Add your token as an environment variable and start the bot.

Common errors

• "An invalid token was provided": the token is wrong, has spaces, or was reset. Copy a fresh token.
• "Used disallowed intents" or "Privileged intent not enabled": in the Developer Portal, open your bot page and turn on the intents your code uses (Message Content, Server Members or Presence).
• "Missing Permissions" (50013) or "Missing Access" (50001): give the bot the right permissions and move its role higher than the roles it manages.
• "Cannot find module" or "ModuleNotFoundError": the dependencies are not installed. Run npm install or pip install again.
• "EADDRINUSE": something is already using that port. Change the port in your code.
• Slash commands don't show: register them, and note that global commands can take a while to appear.