How to Host a Discord Bot on Ubuntu VPS

This article provides a guide demonstrating how to host a Discord bot on Ubuntu VPS.

Running your Discord bot on a VPS (Virtual Private Server) gives you full control, better uptime, and the ability to keep your bot online 24/7 without relying on your local computer.

This guide walks you through the steps to host a Discord bot on Ubuntu VPS using Node.js or Python, securing the server, and keeping the bot running permanently with PM2 or systemd.

Requirements

Before you are able to host a Discord bot on Ubuntu VPS, you’ll need:

• An Ubuntu VPS (Ubuntu 22.04 recommended)
• SSH access to the server
• A Discord bot token
• Your bot source code
• Basic terminal knowledge

Popular VPS providers include:

• DigitalOcean
• Vultr
• Linode
• AWS Lightsail
• Hetzner
• Rad Web Hosting VPS

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How to Host a Discord Bot on Ubuntu VPS

To host a Discord bot on Ubuntu VPS, follow the steps below:

1. Connect to Your Ubuntu VPS

   Use SSH to connect to the server from your local computer.

   ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
   

   Example:

   ssh root@192.168.1.10
   

   If this is your first login, confirm the fingerprint by typing:

   yes
   

2. Update the Server

   Always update package lists and installed packages first.

   apt update && apt upgrade -y
   

   Optional but recommended:

   apt install curl wget git unzip -y
   

3. Create a Non-Root User (Recommended)

   Running applications as root is unsafe.

   Create a new user:

   adduser discordbot
   

   Add the user to the sudo group:

   usermod -aG sudo discordbot
   

   Switch to the new user:

   su - discordbot
   

4. Install Node.js or Python

   Choose the section based on your bot language.

   1. Install Node.js (Discord.js Bots)

      Install Node.js LTS:

      curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash -
      sudo apt install nodejs -y
      

      Verify installation:

      node -v
      npm -v
      

   2. Install Python (discord.py Bots)

      Install Python and pip:

      sudo apt install python3 python3-pip python3-venv -y
      

      Verify installation:

      python3 --version
      pip3 --version
      

5. Upload Your Discord Bot Files

   There are several ways to upload your bot.

   1. Git Clone (Recommended)

      If your bot is on GitHub:

      git clone https://github.com/USERNAME/BOT-REPO.git
      

      Enter the folder:

      cd BOT-REPO
      

   2. SCP Upload

      From your local computer:

      scp -r ./mybot discordbot@YOUR_SERVER_IP:/home/discordbot/
      

   3. SFTP Client

      Use an SFTP client like:

      • FileZilla
      • WinSCP
      • Cyberduck

      Upload files into:

      /home/discordbot/
      

6. Install Dependencies

   • Node.js Bots

     Inside your bot directory:

     npm install
     

   • Python Bots

     Create a virtual environment:

     python3 -m venv venv
     

     Activate it:

     source venv/bin/activate
     

     Install dependencies:

     pip install -r requirements.txt
     

7. Configure Environment Variables

   Never hardcode your Discord token directly into source code.

   Create a .env file:

   nano .env
   

   Example:

   DISCORD_TOKEN=your_bot_token_here
   

   Save and exit:

   • CTRL + X
   • Y
   • ENTER

8. Test the Bot

   • Node.js

     node index.js
     

     Or:

     npm start
     

   • Python

     python3 bot.py
     

     If everything is correct, your bot should appear online in Discord.

     Stop the bot with:

     CTRL + C
     

9. Keep the Bot Running 24/7

   If you close the terminal, the bot will stop unless you use a process manager.

   The best options are:

   • PM2
   • systemd

   1. Using PM2 (Recommended for Beginners)

      Install PM2 globally:

      sudo npm install -g pm2
      

      Start a Node.js Bot

      pm2 start index.js --name discord-bot
      

      Start a Python Bot

      pm2 start bot.py --interpreter python3 --name discord-bot
      

      View Running Processes

      pm2 list
      

      View Logs

      pm2 logs discord-bot
      

      Restart Bot

      pm2 restart discord-bot
      

      Stop Bot

      pm2 stop discord-bot
      

      Enable Auto-Start on Reboot

      pm2 startup
      

      Copy and run the command PM2 provides.

      Then save processes:

      pm2 save
      

      Your bot will now automatically restart after VPS reboots.

   2. Using systemd (Advanced)

      Create a service file:

      sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/discordbot.service
      

      Example service configuration:

      [Unit]
      Description=Discord Bot
      After=network.target
      
      [Service]
      Type=simple
      User=discordbot
      WorkingDirectory=/home/discordbot/mybot
      ExecStart=/usr/bin/node index.js
      Restart=always
      
      [Install]
      WantedBy=multi-user.target
      

      Reload systemd:

      sudo systemctl daemon-reload
      

      Enable service:

      sudo systemctl enable discordbot
      

      Start service:

      sudo systemctl start discordbot
      

      Check status:

      sudo systemctl status discordbot
      

10. Secure Your VPS

    Security is important when hosting public bots.

    Enable Firewall

    Install UFW:

    sudo apt install ufw -y
    

    Allow SSH:

    sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
    

    Enable firewall:

    sudo ufw enable
    

    Check status:

    sudo ufw status
    

    Disable Root SSH Login

    Edit SSH configuration:

    sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config
    

    Find:

    PermitRootLogin yes
    

    Change to:

    PermitRootLogin no
    

    Restart SSH:

    sudo systemctl restart ssh
    

    Use SSH Keys Instead of Passwords

    Generate SSH keys locally:

    ssh-keygen
    

    Copy key to server:

    ssh-copy-id discordbot@YOUR_SERVER_IP
    

11. Optional Enhancements

    Install Fail2Ban

    Protect against brute-force attacks:

    sudo apt install fail2ban -y
    

    Enable and start:

    sudo systemctl enable fail2ban
    sudo systemctl start fail2ban
    

    Monitor Resource Usage

    Install htop:

    sudo apt install htop -y
    

    Run:

    htop
    

    Auto-Deploy with GitHub

    You can automate deployments using:

    • GitHub Actions
    • Webhooks
    • CI/CD pipelines

    Example deployment command:

    git pull origin main
    npm install
    pm2 restart discord-bot
    

Troubleshooting

Bot Offline

Check logs:

pm2 logs

Or:

journalctl -u discordbot -f

Permission Errors

Fix ownership:

sudo chown -R discordbot:discordbot /home/discordbot/

Missing Dependencies

Reinstall dependencies:

npm install

Or:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Port Already in Use

Find process:

sudo lsof -i :PORT

Kill process:

kill -9 PID

Final Thoughts

Hosting your Discord bot on an Ubuntu VPS gives you:

• 24/7 uptime
• Better performance
• Full control
• Improved reliability
• Easier scaling

For most users, the ideal setup is:

• Ubuntu 22.04
• Node.js LTS or Python 3
• PM2 process manager
• UFW firewall
• SSH key authentication

Once configured properly, your Discord bot can run continuously with minimal maintenance.

Conclusion

You now know how to host a Discord bot on Ubuntu VPS.

Happy bot hosting!