How to Make a Discord Bot and Host It Free 24/7 (Python & Node.js)

Discord bots can automate moderation, play music, track server stats, run games, and much more. The best part? Making a Discord bot is easier than most people think — and hosting it 24/7 for free is simple with FreeGameHost.

This guide covers everything from creating your Discord application to writing your first bot commands in both Python and Node.js, all the way to hosting your bot free 24/7 so it stays online even when your computer is off.

Step 1 — Create a Discord application

Before you write any code, you need to register your bot with Discord.

Step 2a — Write a Discord bot in Python

Python is the most beginner-friendly option for Discord bots. We'll use discord.py, the most popular Python Discord library.

Install discord.py

If you're testing locally first, open a terminal and run:

pip install discord.py

Basic bot example (Python)

Create a file called bot.py and paste this code:

import discord
from discord.ext import commands

# Replace with your actual bot token
TOKEN = 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE'

intents = discord.Intents.default()
intents.message_content = True
intents.members = True

bot = commands.Bot(command_prefix='!', intents=intents)

@bot.event
async def on_ready():
    print(f'Bot is online as {bot.user}')

@bot.command()
async def hello(ctx):
    await ctx.send(f'Hello, {ctx.author.mention}! 👋')

@bot.command()
async def ping(ctx):
    latency = round(bot.latency * 1000)
    await ctx.send(f'Pong! Latency: {latency}ms')

@bot.command()
async def serverinfo(ctx):
    guild = ctx.guild
    await ctx.send(
        f'Server: {guild.name}\n'
        f'Members: {guild.member_count}\n'
        f'Created: {guild.created_at.strftime("%Y-%m-%d")}'
    )

bot.run(TOKEN)

This bot responds to three commands: !hello, !ping, and !serverinfo. To test locally, run python bot.py in your terminal.

Using slash commands (recommended for new bots)

Discord now recommends slash commands over prefix commands. Here's how to add them:

import discord
from discord import app_commands

TOKEN = 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE'

intents = discord.Intents.default()
client = discord.Client(intents=intents)
tree = app_commands.CommandTree(client)

@tree.command(name='ping', description='Check bot latency')
async def ping(interaction: discord.Interaction):
    latency = round(client.latency * 1000)
    await interaction.response.send_message(f'Pong! {latency}ms')

@client.event
async def on_ready():
    await tree.sync()
    print(f'Logged in as {client.user}')

client.run(TOKEN)

Step 2b — Write a Discord bot in Node.js

If you prefer JavaScript, discord.js is the most popular and well-documented option.

Set up your project

mkdir my-discord-bot
cd my-discord-bot
npm init -y
npm install discord.js

Basic bot example (Node.js)

Create a file called index.js:

const { Client, GatewayIntentBits } = require('discord.js');

const TOKEN = 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE';

const client = new Client({
  intents: [
    GatewayIntentBits.Guilds,
    GatewayIntentBits.GuildMessages,
    GatewayIntentBits.MessageContent,
    GatewayIntentBits.GuildMembers,
  ]
});

client.once('ready', () => {
  console.log(`Bot is online as ${client.user.tag}`);
});

client.on('messageCreate', async (message) => {
  if (message.author.bot) return;

  if (message.content === '!hello') {
    await message.reply(`Hello, ${message.author}!`);
  }

  if (message.content === '!ping') {
    const latency = Math.round(client.ws.ping);
    await message.reply(`Pong! Latency: ${latency}ms`);
  }

  if (message.content === '!serverinfo') {
    const guild = message.guild;
    await message.reply(
      `Server: ${guild.name}\nMembers: ${guild.memberCount}`
    );
  }
});

client.login(TOKEN);

Run it locally with node index.js to test.

Step 3 — Host your Discord bot free 24/7

Once your bot works locally, you need to host it so it stays online 24/7 — even when your computer is off. FreeGameHost offers free Discord bot hosting for both Python and Node.js bots.

Useful bot commands to add next

Once your basic bot is running, here are some popular commands to add:

• Moderation: !kick, !ban, !mute, !clear (delete messages)
• Fun: !roll (dice roller), !8ball (magic 8 ball), !coinflip
• Info: !userinfo, !membercount, !botinfo
• Welcome messages: Automatically greet new members when they join
• Auto-roles: Assign roles to new members automatically
• Reaction roles: Let users react to a message to get a role
• Logging: Log deleted messages, user joins/leaves to a channel

Frequently asked questions

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