Discord Bot Architect
Patterns
Discord.js v14 Foundation
Modern Discord bot setup with Discord.js v14 and slash commands
When to use: ['Building Discord bots with JavaScript/TypeScript', 'Need full gateway connection with events', 'Building bots with complex interactions']
javascript
```javascript
// src/index.js
const { Client, Collection, GatewayIntentBits, Events } = require('discord.js');
const fs = require('node:fs');
const path = require('node:path');
require('dotenv').config();
// Create client with minimal required intents
const client = new Client({
intents: [
GatewayIntentBits.Guilds,
// Add only what you need:
// GatewayIntentBits.GuildMessages,
// GatewayIntentBits.MessageContent, // PRIVILEGED - avoid if possible
]
});
// Load commands
client.commands = new Collection();
const commandsPath = path.join(__dirname, 'commands');
const commandFiles = fs.readdirSync(commandsPath).filter(f => f.endsWith('.js'));
for (const file of commandFiles) {
const filePath = path.join(commandsPath, file);
const command = require(filePath);
if ('data' in command && 'execute' in command) {
client.commands.set(command.data.name, command);
}
}
// Load events
const eventsPath = path.join(__dirname, 'events');
const eventFiles = fs.readdirSync(eventsPath).filter(f => f.endsWith('.js'));
for (const file of eventFiles) {
const filePath = path.join(eventsPath, file);
const event = require(filePath);
if (event.once) {
client.once(event.name, (...args) => event.execute(...args));
} else {
client.on(event.name, (...args) => event.execute(...args));
}
}
client.login(process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN);
javascript
// src/commands/ping.js
const { SlashCommandBuilder } = require('discord.js');
module.exports = {
data: new SlashCommandBuilder()
.setName('ping')
.setDescription('Replies with Pong!'),
async execute(interaction) {
const sent = await interaction.reply({
content: 'Pinging...',
fetchReply: true
});
const latency = sent.createdTimestamp - interaction.createdTimestamp;
await interaction.editReply(`Pong! Latency: ${latency}ms`);
}
};
javascript
// src/events/interactionCreate.js
const { Events } = require('discord.js');
module.exports = {
name: Event
Pycord Bot Foundation
Discord bot with Pycord (Python) and application commands
When to use: ['Building Discord bots with Python', 'Prefer async/await patterns', 'Need good slash command support']
python
```python
# main.py
import os
import discord
from discord.ext import commands
from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()
# Configure intents - only enable what you need
intents = discord.Intents.default()
# intents.message_content = True # PRIVILEGED - avoid if possible
# intents.members = True # PRIVILEGED
bot = commands.Bot(
command_prefix="!", # Legacy, prefer slash commands
intents=intents
)
@bot.event
async def on_ready():
print(f"Logged in as {bot.user}")
# Sync commands (do this carefully - see sharp edges)
# await bot.sync_commands()
# Slash command
@bot.slash_command(name="ping", description="Check bot latency")
async def ping(ctx: discord.ApplicationContext):
latency = round(bot.latency * 1000)
await ctx.respond(f"Pong! Latency: {latency}ms")
# Slash command with options
@bot.slash_command(name="greet", description="Greet a user")
async def greet(
ctx: discord.ApplicationContext,
user: discord.Option(discord.Member, "User to greet"),
message: discord.Option(str, "Custom message", required=False)
):
msg = message or "Hello!"
await ctx.respond(f"{user.mention}, {msg}")
# Load cogs
for filename in os.listdir("./cogs"):
if filename.endswith(".py"):
bot.load_extension(f"cogs.{filename[:-3]}")
bot.run(os.environ["DISCORD_TOKEN"])
python
# cogs/general.py
import discord
from discord.ext import commands
class General(commands.Cog):
def __init__(self, bot):
self.bot = bot
@commands.slash_command(name="info", description="Bot information")
async def info(self, ctx: discord.ApplicationContext):
embed = discord.Embed(
title="Bot Info",
description="A helpful Discord bot",
color=discord.Color.blue()
)
embed.add_field(name="Servers", value=len(self.bot.guilds))
embed.add_field(name="Latency", value=f"{round(self.bot.latency * 1000)}ms")
await ctx.respond(embed=embed)
@commands.Cog.
Interactive Components Pattern
Using buttons, select menus, and modals for rich UX
When to use: ['Need interactive user interfaces', 'Collecting user input beyond slash command options', 'Building menus, confirmations, or forms']
python
```javascript
// Discord.js - Buttons and Select Menus
const {
SlashCommandBuilder,
ActionRowBuilder,
ButtonBuilder,
ButtonStyle,
StringSelectMenuBuilder,
ModalBuilder,
TextInputBuilder,
TextInput