# Build a Discord bot with Node.js

> Discover the ultimate guide to creating a Discord bot using Node.js in our comprehensive blog.

Source: https://krishparekhdev.com/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs
Published: 2024-01-25
Tags: discord, discord-bot, discordjs, nodejs, javascript

---

## Introduction

In today's blog we will learn how to build discord bot named **WisdomWhisper** using Node.js. This bot will provide random advice when prompted by user commands. We'll start by establishing the basics with two initial commands. The first, `/ping`, is a straightforward command to demonstrate basic user-bot interaction. The second, `/advice`, will fetch and random pieces of advice from [AdviceSlip API](https://api.adviceslip.com/).

## Setting Up Your Discord Bot

Before we dive into the building process, there are a few key prerequisites and initial setups required.

### Prerequisite

1. Ensure you have [discord](https://discord.com/) account.

2. Set up [Node.js](https://nodejs.org/en) on your system.

3. [Create](https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/204849977-How-do-I-create-a-server) your own Discord server.

### Step 1: Registering the Application

First, register your application on [Discord Developer Portal](https://discord.com/developers/applications).

![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/01.webp)

### Step 2: Naming Your Bot

Choose any name you prefer for your bot. In this guide, we'll name our bot **WisdomWhisper**.

![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/02.webp)

### Step 3: Securing the Token

Make sure to copy and securely save the bot's token immediately, as it is visible only once. This token will be essential for our Node.js application. If you forget to save it, you can reset the token. Additionally, you have the option to add an image for your bot.

![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/03.webp)

Enable the [**Privileged Gateway Intents**](https://support-dev.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/6207308062871-What-are-Privileged-Intents) for your bot to enable sending and receiving messages. Discord introduced [**Gateway Intents**](https://discordjs.guide/popular-topics/intents.html#privileged-intents) to allow bot developers to select specific events their bots should respond to, based on the data they require. These Intents are groups of predefined WebSocket events that your discord.js client will handle.

![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/04.webp)

### Step 4: Inviting Your Bot to the Server

Now, go to the OAuth2 tab and access the URL Generator. This step is crucial for inviting the bot to your server. Within the scope options, select **bot** and grant it admin access.



While giving admin access isn't typically recommended due to security concerns, it simplifies the process for the purposes of this tutorial.



![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/05.webp)

![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/06.webp)

After selecting **Administrator**, a unique link will be generated. Copy this link and paste it into your web browser. Now, simply use the generated link to add the **WisdomWhisper** bot to your Discord server.



Remember, as mentioned in the prerequisites, you should have already created a Discord server on your account.



![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/07.webp)

Once you've added the bot, you'll receive a notification message in your Discord server confirming its arrival. With this, the setup of your Discord server is complete. Next, we'll move on to learning how to interact with the server using the bot.

![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/08.webp)

## Setting Up Node.js

### Step 1 : Create Project Folder

Create a folder and name it **WisdomWhisper**.

```bash
mkdir WisdomWhispher
cd WisdomWhispher
```

### Step 2: Initialize Package Manager

Initialize the [Node Package Manager (NPM)](https://www.npmjs.com/) in your project.

```javascript
npm init
```

```javascript
{
  "name": "wisdom_whisper",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Meet our Discord bot, your friendly digital companion! This bot is here to add fun and functionality to your server. From sharing useful tips to entertaining games, it's your go-to for a great time. Get ready to chat, play, and explore with our Discord bot!",
  "main": "index.js",
  "type": "module",
  "scripts": {
    "test": "echo \"Error: no test specified\" && exit 1"
  },
  "author": "Krish Parekh",
  "license": "ISC",
}
```

### Step 3: Installing Dependencies

1. [**discord.js**](https://www.npmjs.com/package/discord.js) is a powerful node.js module that allows you to easily interact with the [Discord API](https://discord.com/developers/docs/intro).

2. [dotenv](https://www.npmjs.com/package/dotenv) module that loads environment variables from a `.env` file

3. [**nodemon**](https://www.npmjs.com/package/nodemon) tool that helps develop Node.js based applications by automatically restarting the node application when file changes in the directory are detected.

```bash
npm install discord.js dotenv nodemon
```

### Step 4: Setting Up the .env File

Configure the `.env` file for your project.



Utilize the token you saved earlier from Step 3 of the Discord bot setup.



```bash
BOT_TOKEN = X.X.X.X
```

## Command 1 : Ping Pong

1. With all the setup complete, let's create a simple bot to test our application.

2. Firstly, we need to create a [Discord client](https://discord.js.org/docs/packages/discord.js/main/Client:Class). This will be the starting point for our Node.js server to interact with the Discord bot API.

3. [Intents](https://discord.com/developers/docs/topics/gateway) are bitwise values combined using the OR operator ( | ). They specify the events or groups of events that you want Discord to send to your application.

4. In Discord, [Guilds](https://discord.com/developers/docs/resources/guild) represent isolated collections of users and channels, commonly referred to as 'servers' in the user interface.

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

Next, we need to [log](https://discord.js.org/docs/packages/discord.js/main/Client:Class#login) in our client to establish the [WebSocket](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/API/WebSockets_API) connection with Discord.

```javascript
client.login(process.env.BOT_TOKEN);
```

Now, attach an [event listener](https://discord.js.org/docs/packages/discord.js/main/Client:Class#on) to our client object. This listener will monitor all message creation events and trigger a callback accordingly. Use the method `on(event, listener)` for this purpose.

```javascript
client.on("messageCreate", (message) => {});
```

While handling the `messageCreate` event, there are a couple of key points to consider:

1. Avoid responding to messages created by the bot itself.

2. Not every message should trigger a response. Therefore, define a specific prefix to determine which messages the bot should respond to.

```javascript
if (message.author.bot) return;
if (!message.content.startsWith(PREFIX)) return;
```

After ensuring both conditions are met, we will slice the string such that we remove the `PREFIX` from the command input by the user.

```javascript
const command = message.content.substring(PREFIX.length);

if (command === "ping") {
  handlePingCommand(message);
}
```

We'll check if the user's command is `ping`. If it is, we'll call a function specifically designed to handle this command. This function will facilitate sending a reply back to the user who initiated the command.

```javascript
function handlePingCommand(interaction) {
  const timeTaken = Date.now() - interaction.createdTimestamp;
  interaction.reply(`Pong! This message had a latency of ${timeTaken}ms.`);
}
```

```javascript
import Discord, { GatewayIntentBits } from "discord.js";
import dotenv from "dotenv";

dotenv.config();

const PREFIX = "/";

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

function handlePingCommand(interaction) {
  const timeTaken = Date.now() - interaction.createdTimestamp;
  interaction.reply(`Pong! This message had a latency of ${timeTaken}ms.`);
}

client.on("messageCreate", (message) => {
  if (message.author.bot) return;
  if (!message.content.startsWith(PREFIX)) return;

  const command = message.content.substring(PREFIX.length);

  if (command === "ping") {
    handlePingCommand(message);
  }
});

client.login(process.env.BOT_TOKEN);
```

Now it's time to test the bot. Run the command in your Command Line Interface (CLI) to start the Node.js server. Then, send a message from your Discord server using `/ping` to see if the bot responds.

```bash
nodemon index.js
```

![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/09.webp)

## Command 2 : Get Advice

Now that we've learned how to interact with user messages, let's create a new command that provides a random piece of advice. We'll simply add an additional command to our existing bot for this purpose. Name this command `/advice`. For generating the advice, we'll use the [AdviceSlip API](https://api.adviceslip.com/).

```javascript
const ADVICE_API = "https://api.adviceslip.com/advice";

async function handleAdviceCommand(interaction) {
  const response = await fetch(ADVICE_API);
  const advice = await response.json();
  interaction.reply(advice.slip.advice);
}
```

```javascript
import Discord, { GatewayIntentBits } from "discord.js";
import dotenv from "dotenv";

dotenv.config();

const PREFIX = "/";
const ADVICE_API = "https://api.adviceslip.com/advice";

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

function handlePingCommand(interaction) {
  const timeTaken = Date.now() - interaction.createdTimestamp;
  interaction.reply(`Pong! This message had a latency of ${timeTaken}ms.`);
}

async function handleAdviceCommand(interaction) {
  const response = await fetch(ADVICE_API);
  const advice = await response.json();
  interaction.reply(advice.slip.advice);
}

client.on("messageCreate", (message) => {
  if (message.author.bot) return;
  if (!message.content.startsWith(PREFIX)) return;

  const command = message.content.substring(PREFIX.length);

  if (command === "ping") {
    handlePingCommand(message);
  }

  if (command === "advice") {
    handleAdviceCommand(message);
  }
});

client.login(process.env.BOT_TOKEN);
```

![](/images/blog/discord-bot-with-nodejs/10.webp)

## Conclusion

In our upcoming blog, we will take a closer look at the Discord API. We'll learn how to register commands for a discord bot. If you've enjoyed reading and found our content helpful, we'd love it if you could spread the word by liking and sharing our post with your friends and colleagues.