So, you're ready to create your first Discord bot, but how do you get started? Before developing and optimizing your bot, you'll set up an application project with the Discord platform and create a listing for your bot. You can use one of the best budget Android phones to set up and manage your bot from the Discord Developer Portal. This guide walks you through the steps required to list your bot with Discord and how to bring it over to your personal server.

What are Discord bots?

Although Discord is an incredible platform for group chats, it works best with some extra help. That's where bots and AI come into play. Discord bots perform various moderation and administrative tasks automatically with minimal user input. There's no shortage of off-the-shelf Discord bots that you can install on your server. If you can't find the perfect bot to fit your needs, create your own to customize it for your personal Discord server.

How to set up a Discord application project for your new bot

The first part of adding a Discord bot involves logging in to the Discord Developer Portal to create a listing for your new bot. You'll need to add a new application, an icon, and a description for your bot if you plan to go public with it. Here's how to add your bot to Discord.

Create and name your first Discord application project

  1. Log in to the Discord Developer Portal with your account credentials.
  2. Tap the New Application button in the upper-right corner.
  3. In the Name text box, give your Discord application any name you want.
  4. Check the box at the bottom to accept the terms of the service agreement. You must check the box to ensure the developer account complies with the terms of service and privacy policy.
  5. Tap the Create button.

Add an icon to the app bot listing and set up the search tags

  1. Tap the App Icon section to upload a unique image for your bot.
  2. Select either Camera to snap a new photo or use Browse to select an image from your internal storage.
  3. Type a short description of what your bot does and add a few search tags.
  4. To add a tag, type a word and then press Enter. Add up to five tags to make it easy for others to find your bot when going public.
  5. Add a link to the Terms of Service and Private Policy URL sections. You can skip this part when making a bot that you plan to use privately with your server between family and friends.
  6. Tap the Save Changes button at the bottom.

How to add your new bot to your Discord application project

After setting up the application where the bot will be stored online, it's time to add it to the project you just created. You'll receive a unique code that allows your bot to communicate with the Discord platform. Then, you can host the bot on Discord, enabling you to invite it to your server later. To get add the bot to your application project, do the following:

  1. Go to the General Information page for your bot. If you're on the main Applications page, you won't have the options needed to add the bot to a Discord server.
  2. Tap the hamburger menu in the upper-left corner, then go to the Bot section.
  3. Under Build-A Bot, tap the Add Bot button.
  4. Read the short description and tap Yes, do it to add your new bot to the project.
  5. Copy and paste the Token number somewhere safe to avoid losing it.

If you lose access to the token, tap the Reset Token button to get a different one. Once you do that, use the new code to log in and then update your bot on the Discord developer platform.

How to invite your new bot to your Discord server

With the new Discord bot listing created, it's time to invite the bot to your server. Then you can use it yourself. Before moving on, the Manage Server permission box should be checked for your Discord account to get started with bots. If needed, we have a guide that explains how to enable bots on your Discord server. Once that's taken care of, you can invite the bot to your Discord server.

Set the permissions for your Discord bot

  1. Tap the hamburger menu in the upper-left corner, then select OAuth2.
  2. Go to the URL Generator subsection under the drop-down menu.
  3. Under Scopes, scroll down as needed, and check the bot box.
  4. Under the Boot Permissions section, check all the permission boxes that your bot will use.

Add the new bot to your Discord server

  1. Once the appropriate permissions are set, scroll to the Generated URL section.
  2. Tap the Copy button to add the Discord bot URL to your clipboard.
  3. Paste that URL in a web browser, then go to the authorization page for that bot.
  4. You may need to log in to your Discord account again to add your new bot.
  5. Under the Add to Server drop-down menu, select the server for your account,
  6. Tap the Continue button.
  7. You'll see the permissions you set earlier that your bot uses to work correctly.

Finish the setup process and check out your new Discord bot

  1. Tap the Authorize button to add your Discord bot to the selected server.
  2. Tap the I am human box, then solve the CAPTCHA image test. Once finished, you'll see the Authorized page.
  3. Go to your Discord server to see the welcome message from your new bot.

The real work can begin now that you've created a bot listing on Discord, got the unique token, and invited it to your server. From this point, you'll need to set up a few additional parameters, which are used to tell your bot what you want it to do. The bot will stay offline until your code is aligned correctly and synced with the Discord platform. Once you get past this initial setup and coding phase, you can share your new bot with everyone on your server.

Using Discord bots on your server can bring your experience to the next level

Since bots work autonomously without much user input in most cases, they are valuable tools to deploy on any Discord server, personal or otherwise. You can import unique bots that play games for entertainment or those designed to help you manage the user-generated content posted on the server. Humans can't operate every waking hour of the day or night, but bots can do that without worry. Assigning a bot a specific role makes your life easier as the server manager and betters the user experience for everyone.

Gaming and Discord often go hand in hand as one of the best ways to find a group of people to play with. You can check out our list of the best Android games that will help you find a popular Discord community.