PANDAUDIT Discord Bot Setup & Deployment Guide

Complete guide to setting up, configuring, and hosting the PANDAUDIT Discord bot.

Overview
Prerequisites
Initial Setup
Configuration
Hosting Options
Deployment Guide
Testing
Maintenance
Troubleshooting

Overview

The PANDAUDIT Discord bot is a comprehensive community management tool featuring:

Features

Moderation: Kick, ban, mute, warn users, and manage messages
Community: Welcome messages, auto-reactions, engagement tools
Information: Bot status, server stats, help commands
Integration: Connects with pandaudit.com ecosystem

Technical Stack

Language: Python 3.8+
Framework: discord.py 2.3.2+
Dependencies: See discord_bot/requirements.txt
Storage: In-memory (warnings/mutes) - can be extended with database

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Python: 3.8 or higher
Memory: 128MB minimum (512MB recommended)
Storage: 50MB for bot + dependencies
Network: Internet connection with access to Discord API

Accounts Needed

Discord Account - To create bot application
Hosting Account - Choose from:
- Replit (free)
- Railway (free tier)
- Heroku (requires credit card)
- VPS (DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, etc.)

Skills Required

Basic command line/terminal knowledge
Understanding of environment variables
Basic Git knowledge (for VPS deployment)

Initial Setup

Step 1: Create Discord Bot Application

Go to Discord Developer Portal
- Visit: https://discord.com/developers/applications
- Log in with your Discord account
Create New Application
- Click “New Application” (top right)
- Name: PANDAUDIT Bot
- Click “Create”
Configure General Information
- Add description: “Community bot for PANDAUDIT - Data Analytics & Automation”
- Upload bot icon (optional): Use PANDAUDIT logo
- Add tags: analytics, community, moderation
Create Bot User
- Navigate to “Bot” tab (left sidebar)
- Click “Add Bot”
- Click “Yes, do it!” to confirm
Configure Bot Settings
- Username: PANDAUDIT (or your preference)
- Icon: Upload PANDAUDIT logo
- Public Bot: Toggle OFF (private to your server only)
- Requires OAuth2 Code Grant: Toggle OFF
Enable Privileged Gateway Intents

CRITICAL: These must be enabled or bot won’t work!

Scroll down to “Privileged Gateway Intents”:
- Server Members Intent - Toggle ON
- Presence Intent - Toggle OFF (not needed)
- Message Content Intent - Toggle ON
Click “Save Changes”
Get Your Bot Token
- Click “Reset Token” (if first time) or “View Token”
- Click “Copy”
- SAVE THIS TOKEN SECURELY - You’ll need it later
- NEVER share this token publicly!

Step 2: Set Up Bot Permissions

Navigate to OAuth2 → URL Generator
- Go to “OAuth2” tab (left sidebar)
- Click “URL Generator”
Select Scopes
- bot
- applications.commands (for future slash commands)
Select Bot Permissions

General Permissions:
- Read Messages/View Channels
- Send Messages
- Send Messages in Threads
- Embed Links
- Attach Files
- Read Message History
- Add Reactions
Moderation Permissions:
- Manage Messages (for !clear command)
- Kick Members (for !kick command)
- Ban Members (for !ban command)
- Manage Roles (for !mute command)
- Manage Channels (to set muted role permissions)
Permission Integer: 1099511689222

Tip: You can paste this integer directly instead of clicking checkboxes
Copy Generated URL
- Scroll down
- Copy the generated URL
- Save it - you’ll use this to invite the bot

Step 3: Invite Bot to Your Server

Open Invite URL
- Paste the URL from Step 2 into your browser
- Or use: https://discord.com/api/oauth2/authorize?client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&permissions=1099511689222&scope=bot%20applications.commands
  - Replace YOUR_CLIENT_ID with your Application ID (found in General Information)
Select Server
- Choose your PANDAUDIT Discord server from dropdown
- Click “Continue”
Authorize Permissions
- Review the permissions list
- Click “Authorize”
- Complete CAPTCHA if prompted
Verify Bot Joined
- Go to your Discord server
- Bot should appear in member list (offline until you run it)
- You should see a system message: “PANDAUDIT Bot joined the server”

Step 4: Configure Bot Role Position

IMPORTANT: Bot can only moderate users with roles BELOW its own role!

Go to Server Settings → Roles
- Right-click server name → “Server Settings”
- Click “Roles” (left sidebar)

Position Bot Role

Drag “PANDAUDIT Bot” role ABOVE roles you want to moderate

Example hierarchy:

[Admin]           <- Can't be moderated by bot
[PANDAUDIT Bot]   <- Bot role
[Moderator]       <- Can be moderated by bot
[Member]          <- Can be moderated by bot
[everyone]        <- Can be moderated by bot

Save Changes

Configuration

Step 1: Download Bot Files

Option A: Clone from GitHub

git clone https://github.com/nev1111/nev1111.github.io.git
cd nev1111.github.io/discord_bot

Option B: Download ZIP

Go to: https://github.com/nev1111/nev1111.github.io
Click “Code” → “Download ZIP”
Extract and navigate to discord_bot/ folder

Step 2: Install Dependencies

# Make sure you're in the discord_bot directory
cd discord_bot

# Install required packages
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Or with pip3 (if pip defaults to Python 2)
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

Expected output:

Collecting discord.py>=2.3.2
  Downloading discord.py-2.3.2-py3-none-any.whl
Collecting python-dotenv>=1.0.0
  Downloading python_dotenv-1.0.0-py3-none-any.whl
...
Successfully installed discord.py-2.3.2 python-dotenv-1.0.0 ...

Step 3: Configure Environment Variables

Create .env file
```
cp .env.example .env
```

Edit .env file

nano .env  # or use your preferred text editor

Add your bot token

# Required: Your Discord Bot Token
DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=MTQ1OTIxNTk1ODg3ODA2MDYzNQ.GHa50Q.9Ryxa4qyhiF9bmhQCJts7i5Rryv6jLSwtghBGM
   
# Optional: Customize bot behavior
BOT_PREFIX=!
BOT_STATUS=pandaudit.com | !help
LOG_LEVEL=INFO

Save and exit
- Nano: Ctrl+X, Y, Enter
- Vim: Esc, :wq, Enter

Step 4: Test Bot Locally

python bot.py
# Or: python3 bot.py

Expected output:

2025-01-09 12:00:00 - pandaudit_bot - INFO - Starting PANDAUDIT Discord Bot...
2025-01-09 12:00:01 - pandaudit_bot - INFO - Bot logged in as PANDAUDIT Bot (ID: 1459215958878060635)
2025-01-09 12:00:01 - pandaudit_bot - INFO - Connected to 1 guild(s)
2025-01-09 12:00:01 - pandaudit_bot - INFO - Bot is ready!

Verify in Discord:

Bot should show as online (green circle)
Type !ping - bot should respond with latency
Type !help - bot should show command list

If successful: Bot is working! You can now proceed to hosting.

If errors: See Troubleshooting section below.

Hosting Options

Comparison of hosting platforms:

Platform	Cost	Difficulty	Uptime	Best For
Replit	Free	Easy	80%	Quick testing
Railway	Free tier	Medium	99.9%	Recommended
Heroku	$7/mo	Medium	99.9%	Professional
VPS	$5-10/mo	Hard	99.9%	Full control
Local	Free	Easy	50%	Development only

Recommendation: Railway - Best balance of ease, reliability, and cost.

Deployment Guide

Option 1: Railway (Recommended)

Why Railway?

Free $5 credit per month (enough for small bot)
Always online (24/7 uptime)
Automatic deployments from GitHub
Easy environment variable management
Simple setup, no credit card required initially

Step-by-Step:

Sign Up for Railway
- Go to: https://railway.app
- Click “Start a New Project”
- Sign up with GitHub (recommended) or email
Create New Project
- Click “New Project”
- Select “Deploy from GitHub repo”
- Authorize Railway to access your GitHub
- Select repository: nev1111/nev1111.github.io
Configure Deployment
- Railway will detect Python app automatically
- Set Root Directory: discord_bot
- Set Start Command: python bot.py
Add Environment Variables
- Click on your project
- Go to “Variables” tab
- Click ”+ New Variable”
- Add:
  - Name: DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
  - Value: Your bot token
- Click “Add”
Deploy
- Click “Deploy”
- Wait for deployment (1-2 minutes)
- Check logs for “Bot is ready!” message
Verify
- Go to Discord server
- Bot should be online
- Test with !ping

Auto-Deployment:

Every time you push to GitHub, Railway automatically redeploys
No manual intervention needed!

Monitoring:

View logs: Railway dashboard → Deployments → Logs
Check metrics: Railway dashboard → Metrics

Option 2: Replit (Easiest)

Best for: Quick setup, testing, learning

Step-by-Step:

Create Replit Account
- Go to: https://replit.com
- Sign up (free)
Create New Repl
- Click ”+ Create Repl”
- Template: “Python”
- Title: PANDAUDIT-Discord-Bot
- Click “Create Repl”
Upload Bot Files
- Click “Upload file” (in Files panel)
- Upload all files from discord_bot/ directory:
  - bot.py
  - config.py
  - requirements.txt
  - .env.example
Configure Secrets
- Click “Secrets” (lock icon in left sidebar)
- Click “New secret”
- Key: DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
- Value: Your bot token
- Click “Add new secret”
Install Dependencies
- In Shell (bottom panel), run:
```
pip install -r requirements.txt
```
Run Bot
- Click “Run” (big green button at top)
- Bot should start and show “Bot is ready!” in console
Keep Bot Online 24/7 (Optional)
- Replit bots sleep after 1 hour of inactivity
- Use UptimeRobot to keep it awake:
  1. Create UptimeRobot account
  2. Add new monitor (HTTP(s))
  3. Use your Repl URL
  4. Set interval: 5 minutes
  5. UptimeRobot will “ping” your bot every 5 minutes

Note: Replit has usage limits. For production, use Railway or VPS.

Option 3: Heroku

Best for: Professional deployment with scaling

Step-by-Step:

Sign Up for Heroku
- Go to: https://heroku.com
- Create account (requires credit card, but won’t charge for small bot)
Install Heroku CLI

MacOS:
```
brew install heroku/brew/heroku
```
Windows:
- Download from: https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/heroku-cli
Linux:
```
curl https://cli-assets.heroku.com/install.sh | sh
```

Login to Heroku

heroku login
# Opens browser for authentication

Prepare Bot for Heroku

Create Procfile in discord_bot/ directory:
```
echo "worker: python bot.py" > Procfile
```
Create runtime.txt to specify Python version:
```
echo "python-3.11.0" > runtime.txt
```

Create Heroku App

cd discord_bot
heroku create pandaudit-discord-bot

Set Environment Variables

heroku config:set DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN="your_token_here"

Deploy

git init  # If not already a git repo
git add .
git commit -m "Initial bot deployment"
git push heroku main

Scale Worker
```
heroku ps:scale worker=1
```
View Logs
```
heroku logs --tail
```
Verify
- Check logs for “Bot is ready!”
- Test in Discord with !ping

Costs:

Eco Dynos: $5/month (1000 hours)
Basic Dynos: $7/month (always on)

Option 4: VPS (DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, etc.)

Best for: Maximum control, hosting multiple services

Prerequisites:

Basic Linux knowledge
SSH access to server
Server with Ubuntu 20.04+ or Debian 11+

Step-by-Step:

Create Server
- Provider: DigitalOcean, Linode, Vultr, AWS EC2, etc.
- OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS
- Size: Basic ($5/month is sufficient)
- Create and note IP address
Connect to Server
```
ssh root@your_server_ip
```
Update System
```
apt update && apt upgrade -y
```
Install Python and Dependencies
```
apt install python3 python3-pip git -y
```

Create Bot User (security best practice)

adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" pandaudit
su - pandaudit

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/nev1111/nev1111.github.io.git
cd nev1111.github.io/discord_bot

Install Python Dependencies
```
pip3 install -r requirements.txt
```

Create .env File

cp .env.example .env
nano .env
# Add your DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN
# Save: Ctrl+X, Y, Enter

Test Bot

python3 bot.py
# Should see "Bot is ready!"
# Press Ctrl+C to stop

Create Systemd Service (for auto-start)

Exit to root user:

exit  # Back to root

Create service file:

nano /etc/systemd/system/pandaudit-bot.service

Paste this configuration:

[Unit]
Description=PANDAUDIT Discord Bot
After=network.target
    
[Service]
Type=simple
User=pandaudit
WorkingDirectory=/home/pandaudit/nev1111.github.io/discord_bot
Environment="DISCORD_BOT_TOKEN=YOUR_TOKEN_HERE"
ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /home/pandaudit/nev1111.github.io/discord_bot/bot.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=append:/home/pandaudit/bot.log
StandardError=append:/home/pandaudit/bot_error.log
    
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Replace YOUR_TOKEN_HERE with your actual bot token

Save: Ctrl+X, Y, Enter

Enable and Start Service

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable pandaudit-bot
systemctl start pandaudit-bot

Check Status
```
systemctl status pandaudit-bot
```
Should show: active (running)

View Logs

# Service logs
journalctl -u pandaudit-bot -f
    
# Or bot logs
tail -f /home/pandaudit/bot.log

Useful Commands

# Stop bot
systemctl stop pandaudit-bot
    
# Restart bot
systemctl restart pandaudit-bot
    
# View status
systemctl status pandaudit-bot
    
# Disable auto-start
systemctl disable pandaudit-bot

Security Hardening:

# Set up firewall
ufw allow 22/tcp  # SSH
ufw enable

# Disable root login
sed -i 's/PermitRootLogin yes/PermitRootLogin no/' /etc/ssh/sshd_config
systemctl restart sshd

# Set up automatic security updates
apt install unattended-upgrades -y
dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

Updating Bot:

su - pandaudit
cd nev1111.github.io
git pull origin master
cd discord_bot
pip3 install -r requirements.txt --upgrade
exit
systemctl restart pandaudit-bot

Testing

Basic Tests

Bot Online Test
- Check bot shows as online in Discord
- Green circle next to bot name
Ping Test
```
!ping
```
Expected: Bot responds with latency
Help Test
```
!help
```
Expected: Bot shows command list
About Test
```
!about
```
Expected: Bot shows PANDAUDIT information

Moderation Tests

Create a test user or use an alternate account

Clear Test
```
!clear 5
```
Expected: Deletes 5 messages
Warn Test
```
!warn @testuser Testing warning system
```
Expected: User receives warning
Mute Test
```
!mute @testuser 1m Test mute
```
Expected: User muted for 1 minute
Unmute Test
```
!unmute @testuser
```
Expected: User unmuted

Community Feature Tests

Welcome Message Test
- Have someone join the server
- Expected: Bot sends welcome message
Auto-Reaction Test
- Post a message in #blog-updates channel
- Expected: Bot adds reactions ( )
Stats Test
```
!stats
```
Expected: Bot shows server statistics

Load Testing

# Send multiple commands quickly
!ping
!ping
!ping
!help
!about

Expected: Bot responds to all commands without crashing

Maintenance

Regular Tasks

Daily:

Monitor bot uptime
Check for error messages in logs

Weekly:

Review moderation logs
Check disk space (VPS only)
Verify bot is responding correctly

Monthly:

Update dependencies
Review and backup warning data
Check hosting costs/usage

Quarterly:

Update discord.py to latest version
Review bot permissions
Audit moderation logs

Updating Bot

Railway/Heroku: Automatic from GitHub pushes

VPS:

cd /home/pandaudit/nev1111.github.io
git pull origin master
cd discord_bot
pip3 install -r requirements.txt --upgrade
sudo systemctl restart pandaudit-bot

Replit: Re-upload files or sync with GitHub

Backup

Configuration:

# Backup .env file
cp .env .env.backup

# Or for VPS
scp root@your_server:/home/pandaudit/nev1111.github.io/discord_bot/.env ./env_backup

Logs:

# VPS
scp root@your_server:/home/pandaudit/bot.log ./bot_log_backup

# Railway/Heroku: Download from dashboard

Monitoring

Discord Status:

Use !ping periodically
Monitor bot’s online status

Logs:

# Railway: Dashboard → Logs
# Heroku: heroku logs --tail
# VPS: journalctl -u pandaudit-bot -f

Uptime Monitoring (Recommended):

Use UptimeRobot or Uptime.com
Set up HTTP monitor (if bot has web endpoint)
Or use Discord webhook to send periodic heartbeat
Get alerts when bot goes down

Troubleshooting

Bot Won’t Start

Error: discord.errors.LoginFailure: Improper token has been passed.

Solution:

Verify token in .env file is correct
No extra spaces or quotes
Token should be exactly as copied from Discord Developer Portal
Regenerate token if needed

Error: discord.errors.PrivilegedIntentsRequired

Solution:

Go to Discord Developer Portal
Your Application → Bot tab
Enable “Server Members Intent” and “Message Content Intent”
Save changes
Restart bot

Error: ModuleNotFoundError: No module named 'discord'

Solution:

pip install discord.py
# Or: pip3 install discord.py

Bot Online But Doesn’t Respond

Issue: Bot shows online but doesn’t respond to commands

Checks:

Message Content Intent
- Developer Portal → Bot → Enable “Message Content Intent”
Permissions
- Right-click bot → Check role permissions
- Bot needs “Read Messages” and “Send Messages”
Channel Permissions
- Check channel-specific permissions
- Bot may be denied in specific channels
Prefix
- Make sure you’re using correct prefix (default: !)
- Try: !help not /help
Check Logs
```
tail -f bot.log  # Look for errors
```

Moderation Commands Fail

Error: Forbidden: Missing Permissions

Solution:

Check Bot Role Position
- Server Settings → Roles
- Bot role must be ABOVE roles it moderates
Check Permissions
- Bot needs:
  - Kick Members (for !kick)
  - Ban Members (for !ban)
  - Manage Roles (for !mute)
  - Manage Messages (for !clear)
Bot Can’t Moderate Admins
- Bot can’t moderate users with roles above its own
- Bot can’t moderate server owner

Mute Command Not Working

Issue: !mute command completes but user can still send messages

Solution:

Check “Muted” role permissions in each channel:
- Right-click channel → Edit Channel → Permissions
- Add “Muted” role
- Deny “Send Messages” and “Speak” (voice)
Or let bot auto-create role:
- Bot will create “Muted” role automatically
- Bot will set permissions for all channels
- Ensure bot has “Manage Channels” permission

Bot Goes Offline Randomly

Railway/Heroku: Check logs for errors

railway logs
# Or: heroku logs --tail

VPS:

systemctl status pandaudit-bot
journalctl -u pandaudit-bot -n 50

Common causes:

Network issues
Rate limiting by Discord
Uncaught exceptions
Memory issues

Solution: Enable auto-restart

VPS: Already configured in systemd service
Railway/Heroku: Should auto-restart
Replit: Use UptimeRobot

High Memory Usage

Issue: Bot using too much RAM

Checks:

# Linux
ps aux | grep python
top -p $(pgrep -f bot.py)

Solutions:

Implement database for warnings/mutes instead of in-memory storage
Clear logs periodically
Upgrade hosting plan

Rate Limiting

Error: discord.errors.HTTPException: 429 Too Many Requests

Solution:

Bot is sending too many requests to Discord
Add delays between bulk operations
Don’t spam commands
Implement command cooldowns

Can’t Find Logs

Railway: Dashboard → Deployments → Logs

Heroku:

heroku logs --tail -a pandaudit-discord-bot

VPS:

# Service logs
journalctl -u pandaudit-bot -f

# Bot logs
tail -f /home/pandaudit/bot.log

# Error logs  
tail -f /home/pandaudit/bot_error.log

Replit: Console panel at bottom of editor

Additional Resources

Documentation

Community

Tools

Tutorials

Support

Need help?

Check Documentation: Most issues covered in this guide
Review Logs: Errors usually point to the problem
Discord Community: Ask in your PANDAUDIT server
GitHub Issues: https://github.com/nev1111/nev1111.github.io/issues
discord.py Support: https://discord.gg/dpy

Success Checklist

Before considering your bot deployment complete:

** Congratulations!** Your PANDAUDIT Discord bot is now live and ready to engage your community.

For ongoing support and updates, visit pandaudit.com or check the GitHub repository.

Happy community building!

PANDAUDIT Discord Bot Setup & Deployment Guide

Table of Contents

Overview

Features

Technical Stack

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Accounts Needed

Skills Required

Initial Setup

Step 1: Create Discord Bot Application

Step 2: Set Up Bot Permissions

Step 3: Invite Bot to Your Server

Step 4: Configure Bot Role Position

Configuration

Step 1: Download Bot Files

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Step 3: Configure Environment Variables

Step 4: Test Bot Locally

Hosting Options

Deployment Guide

Option 1: Railway (Recommended)

Option 2: Replit (Easiest)

Option 3: Heroku

Option 4: VPS (DigitalOcean, Linode, AWS, etc.)

Testing

Basic Tests

Moderation Tests

Community Feature Tests

Load Testing

Maintenance

Regular Tasks

Updating Bot

Backup

Monitoring

Troubleshooting

Bot Won’t Start

Bot Online But Doesn’t Respond

Moderation Commands Fail

Mute Command Not Working

Bot Goes Offline Randomly

High Memory Usage

Rate Limiting

Can’t Find Logs

Additional Resources

Documentation

Community

Tools

Tutorials

Support

Success Checklist