Discord Bot Hosting: Keep Your Bot Online, Free or Paid

What a bot needs

A bot is a program that logs in to Discord with its token and sits there listening. Nobody connects to it, so there are no ports to open: it just has to be running. For commands and moderation, 256–512 MB of memory is plenty; with lots of servers, a big cache or music, 1 GB (the RAM calculator tells you which).

If you haven't built it yet, start with your first bot in Python or in JavaScript: about fifteen minutes each.

With NapNodes

1. Pick free or a plan

   The free bot has 256 MB and is renewed every week with one click; the Mini (512 MB) and Plus (1 GB) plans never need renewing (pricing).

2. Pick the language

   The bot starts out on Node.js; if yours is Python, go to “Settings” → “Language” and choose “Switch to Python” (your files aren't touched). The version (Node.js 24, 22 or 20; Python 3.13, 3.12 or 3.11) is under “Advanced settings” → “Version & startup”.

3. Upload your code

   In “Files”, or put your GitHub repository's address in “Settings” and it downloads itself (and, if you like, updates on every restart; for a private one, with your username and a GitHub token). The dependencies in package.json or requirements.txt install at startup.

4. The token goes in your code

   For example in a .env file your bot reads when it starts. Never in a public repository: whoever has it controls your bot (how to keep it safe and what to do if it leaks).

5. Pick the startup file and start it

   index.js or app.py (or your own) in “Settings”, then “Start”. The panel's console shows what your bot prints; if it never connects or doesn't reply, see what to check for each error.

What's not allowed

No selfbots, spam, raids, scraping user data, crypto mining or anything against Discord's terms: abusive use gets cut off (Acceptable Use Policy). A normal bot has nothing to worry about.

And the bot can't send email directly: the mail ports (25, 465 and 587) are closed. If it needs to send email notifications, do it through an email-sending service's web API.

Frequently asked questions