How to deploy a Python Discord Bot on a VPS (Ubuntu/Debian)

Recommended OS: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (or Debian 12). These steps assume a fresh Ubuntu/Debian server.

Table of contents

• 1) Connect to the VPS
• 2) Install Python, pip, Git, and tools
• 3) (Recommended) Create a dedicated user
• 4) Upload or clone your bot code
• 5) Create a virtual environment & install dependencies
• 6) Set your Discord token securely
• 7) Test-run the bot
• 8) Run 24/7 with systemd (auto-start & auto-restart)
• 9) Alternative: keep it running with screen
• 10) Firewall & networking notes
• Troubleshooting
• Security checklist

1) Connect to the VPS

# From macOS/Linux:
ssh root@<SERVER_IP>

# From Windows:
# Use PowerShell (OpenSSH) or PuTTY to connect to: root@<SERVER_IP>

2) Install Python, pip, Git, and tools

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv git

3) (Recommended) Create a dedicated user

Run your bot under a non-root account for better security.

sudo adduser --disabled-password --gecos "" bot
# Give "bot" permission to restart the service, etc.
sudo usermod -aG sudo bot

# Switch to the new user
sudo -iu bot

4) Upload or clone your bot code

Option A: Git clone

git clone https://github.com/<username>/<repo>.git ~/discord-bot
cd ~/discord-bot

Option B: Upload from your computer

• Linux/macOS (SCP):

scp -r /path/to/local/bot/ bot@<SERVER_IP>:/home/bot/discord-bot

• Windows: Use WinSCP or FileZilla and connect via SFTP to upload into /home/bot/discord-bot.

5) Create a virtual environment & install dependencies

cd ~/discord-bot
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
# If your project has a requirements.txt:
pip install --upgrade pip
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Otherwise install your libs, e.g.
# pip install discord.py python-dotenv

6) Set your Discord token securely

Recommended: use an environment file readable by root and your service, not hard-coded in code.

# Exit back to root to create a global env file
exit
echo 'DISCORD_TOKEN=PUT_YOUR_TOKEN_HERE' | sudo tee /etc/discord-bot.env > /dev/null
sudo chmod 600 /etc/discord-bot.env
sudo chown root:root /etc/discord-bot.env

# Switch back to the bot user to continue work if needed
sudo -iu bot

In your Python code, read it with:

import os
TOKEN = os.getenv("DISCORD_TOKEN")
# pass TOKEN to your discord client/login

7) Test-run the bot

cd ~/discord-bot
source venv/bin/activate
python3 bot.py
# Confirm it logs in and responds. Press Ctrl+C to stop.

8) Run 24/7 with systemd (auto-start & auto-restart)

Create a service that starts on boot and restarts on failure.

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/discord-bot.service > /dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Discord Bot (Python)
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=bot
WorkingDirectory=/home/bot/discord-bot
EnvironmentFile=/etc/discord-bot.env
ExecStart=/home/bot/discord-bot/venv/bin/python3 /home/bot/discord-bot/bot.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

# Security hardening (optional but recommended)
NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true
ProtectSystem=full
ProtectHome=true

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now discord-bot
sudo systemctl status discord-bot --no-pager

View logs (very useful for debugging):

journalctl -u discord-bot -e --no-pager
# Follow live logs:
journalctl -u discord-bot -f

9) Alternative: keep it running with screen

If you prefer a quick, non-service approach:

sudo apt install -y screen
sudo -iu bot
cd ~/discord-bot && source venv/bin/activate
screen -S discordbot
python3 bot.py
# Press Ctrl+A then D to detach the session.
# Reattach later with:
screen -r discordbot

10) Firewall & networking notes

• By default, you typically do not need any inbound ports for a basic Discord bot (it connects outbound to Discord).
• If your bot also hosts a web dashboard or webhook, open the required ports (e.g., 80/443).

OS firewall (UFW):

sudo ufw status
# If you enabled UFW and you host a web UI:
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

Troubleshooting

• Service fails to start: Check logs with journalctl -u discord-bot -e. Verify paths in ExecStart and WorkingDirectory.
• Invalid token / cannot login: Ensure DISCORD_TOKEN is correct in /etc/discord-bot.env. Run sudo systemctl restart discord-bot after changes.
• Missing intents: If your bot needs privileged intents (Members/Presence), enable them in the Discord Developer Portal and update your code accordingly.
• Dependencies fail to build: Install build tools: sudo apt install -y build-essential and retry pip install -r requirements.txt.
• Time/SSL issues: Ensure system time is correct (timedatectl) so TLS handshakes don’t fail.

Security checklist

• Run the bot as a non-root user (like bot).
• Store secrets in environment files, not in source code or Git.
• Keep the OS and packages up to date: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y.
• Use systemd for automatic restarts and centralized logging.
• Open only the ports you actually need.

That’s it — your Python Discord bot should now run 24/7 and survive restarts.