Setting up pixel-bot on ServerPrism

This guide walks you through setting up pixel-bot, a Python-based Discord bot, on your ServerPrism server. You will create your bot application in Discord, invite it to your server, and configure it on ServerPrism.

Create your bot in Discord Developer Portal

1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal.
2. Click New Application.
3. Enter a name for your bot (e.g., pixel-bot) and click Create.
4. In the left sidebar, click Bot.
5. Click Add Bot, then Yes, Do It!
6. Under TOKEN, click Reset Token, then Yes, Do It! Copy this token immediately; you will need it later. Keep it secret.
7. Under Privileged Gateway Intents, enable Message Content Intent. pixel-bot needs this to read messages and respond to commands.

Invite the bot to your server

1. In the Discord Developer Portal, go to your bot's application.
2. In the left sidebar, click OAuth2 -> URL Generator.
3. Under SCOPES, select bot.
4. Under BOT PERMISSIONS, select the permissions your bot needs. For pixel-bot, Send Messages and Read Message History are good starting points.
5. Copy the generated URL at the bottom of the page.
6. Paste the URL into your browser and select the Discord server you want to invite the bot to. Click Authorize.

Order on ServerPrism

When ordering your Discord bot server on ServerPrism, a 1 GB RAM plan is typically sufficient for pixel-bot. Choose a region closest to your users for optimal performance. Once ordered, your server will deploy automatically with the pixel-bot runtime pre-installed.

Configure startup variables

Your ServerPrism panel allows you to set environment variables for your bot. These are crucial for its operation.

1. Navigate to your bot's server in the ServerPrism panel.

2. Click the Startup tab.

3. Set the following environment variables:

   • BOT_TOKEN: Paste the bot token you copied from the Discord Developer Portal.
   • PREFIX: Set this to your desired command prefix (e.g., !, /, p!). This is how users will interact with your bot (e.g., !ping).
   • OWNER_ID: Your Discord user ID. This is required for some admin commands. To get your user ID, enable Developer Mode in Discord (User Settings > Advanced), then right-click your profile and select Copy ID.

   The startup tab may also list other variables. Refer to the official pixel-bot GitHub repository for any additional configuration specific to certain features:

   • pixel-bot GitHub

First start

1. Go to the Console tab in your ServerPrism panel.

2. Click Start.

3. Watch the console output. A successful start will show messages indicating the bot is connecting to Discord and logging in. You should see output similar to:

   [INFO] discord.client: logging in using static token
   [INFO] discord.gateway: Shard ID 0 has connected to Gateway (Session ID: ...)
   [INFO] discord.client: Ready! Logged in as pixel-bot#1234 (ID: ...)
   

4. Check your Discord server; your bot should appear online.

Common issues

• Bot token rejected: Double-check that BOT_TOKEN in the Startup tab is correct and has no extra spaces. Regenerate the token in the Developer Portal if unsure.
• Bot online but not responding: Ensure Message Content Intent is enabled in the Discord Developer Portal under your bot's settings. Without it, the bot cannot read message commands.
• Bot not going online: Review the console logs for error messages. Common issues include incorrect tokens, missing environment variables, or critical errors in the bot's code. Ensure all required Startup variables are set.

Next steps

Your pixel-bot is now running! You can start using its commands in your Discord server. For a list of available commands and further customization options, consult the pixel-bot GitHub repository.