How to keep a Discord bot online 24/7 without coding (and give it your own name and avatar)

Before you start

• Use a Build Discord Bots account and a Discord server you can manage. Start in a test server or a quiet channel where you can check the result.
• Use the English dashboard labels for this walkthrough. Keep your bot token private; it authenticates your application with Discord.

1. Understand what keeps the bot running

   The dashboard controls hosting on a server separate from your computer. Generated bots run in Docker containers managed through the Bot Agent. After you start hosting, closing your browser does not stop the bot. Containers have a restart policy, and the platform attempts recovery for bots that are meant to be running after an outage. A deliberate Stop is respected.

   24/7 describes continuous hosting, not an uptime guarantee. Discord or the host can be unavailable, and maintenance or configuration changes can interrupt replies. Recovery cannot fix a rejected token or missing intent permission for you. Repeated failures can pause automatic recovery until you repair the cause. A running process also does not prove that the bot can answer in your server: test a command in Discord.

2. Choose the plan that fits your hosting

   Free includes hosting for 1 bot, 10 custom commands and 1-day hosting log retention. Pro costs $9.99/mo or $99.90/yr and includes 3 bots, 200 custom commands and 30-day hosting log retention.

   Hosting is available on Free as well as Pro. The command allowance above is for custom commands, not a promise that every stock module has only ten commands. Pick modules available to your plan and check the current Free and Pro comparison before relying on a paid feature.

   Free includes 1 bot and the Free modules. Pro is $9.99/month when you upgrade, or our team can issue a beta code. If you move from Pro to Free, one bot slot remains available; bots above that limit are stopped but kept, Pro-only stock features and custom modules pause, and saved work is not deleted. A downgrade can rebuild and restart a running bot, so check its status and test the features you intend to keep. You can upgrade to restore Pro access.

3. Create your own Discord application and identity

   Open the Discord Developer Portal, choose New Application, enter a name and accept the terms. Open that application’s Bot page to review the bot user’s username and upload its avatar, then save your changes. Set the identity on the bot user; an application icon and a bot avatar are different settings.

   The token connects Build Discord Bots to that Discord bot user, so the name and avatar members see come from your own application. The Bot Name field in the builder labels your dashboard project; changing that field does not rename the Discord user. Check the profile in Discord after saving your identity. A server nickname can also affect the name displayed in that server.

4. Connect the token and choose modules

   You can skip copying the Application ID from General Information: the builder normally detects it when it creates the bot. On the application’s Bot page, open Privileged Gateway Intents and turn on only the switches the builder’s checklist marks for your modules. Select Save Changes, and keep Requires OAuth2 Code Grant off for the direct invite.

   Still on Bot, select Reset Token, then Copy the new bot token. Paste it into Bot Token in the builder, never the Application ID, Public Key or Client Secret. The builder checks the token and required switches with Discord; after a correction, choose Check again. If the builder later asks for the Application ID to recover an invite, copy the 17–20 digit public value from General Information into its optional manual field.

   In Build Discord Bots, open New Bot and choose Build from scratch. Enter a Bot Name and select Tools & Utilities for a simple first test. You can add Welcome & Goodbye or other modules later. Review your name and module selection, then click Create Bot. Wait for the creation confirmation. If the request remains unconfirmed, check the dashboard for the bot before starting a separate setup. The detailed no-code creation guide gives more context on module configuration.

5. Invite the bot, start hosting and test in Discord

   In the creation checklist, use Add [your bot name] to a server & start. It opens Discord’s authorization page and starts hosting. Choose the server you manage and review the requested permissions before authorizing: the supplied link requests Administrator plus the bot and applications.commands scopes. Return to the checklist to see whether hosting and the Discord server connection are confirmed. Opening the invite alone does not prove that authorization succeeded.

   If the bot was already invited, use Start manually in the checklist, or open its dashboard page and click Start. If creation has already begun building and starting the bot, wait for it to finish; the invite action may simply say Add [your bot name] to a server. Use Check again if the connection is still unconfirmed, and read any failure message instead of repeatedly clicking Start.

   Once connected, type /ping in a channel the bot can view and send messages in. With Tools & Utilities enabled, a reply confirms that it can receive and answer a command. Check the bot’s profile for your chosen name and avatar. You can now close the dashboard; later, return to the bot page for Start, Stop, Restart and module changes.

6. Check the cause of an offline bot

   Open the bot’s Overview and Logs tabs. Uptime and Restarts help you notice a process that repeatedly starts, but they are not proof of uninterrupted Discord service. Hosting logs on Free have one-day retention, so inspect recent failures promptly. Keep error details when asking for help, and remove any token before sharing them.

   For a rejected token, reset it on your application’s Bot page. If the bot page shows New bot token, paste the replacement there and choose Verify and start. Otherwise, use Settings → Update Bot Token, save with Update Token and restart the bot. For disallowed intents, enable and save the switches listed in the dashboard, then use Check and restart when that recovery prompt appears, or retry Start. If Discord requires approval for an intent, complete that approval first.

   If the host is unreachable, let any scheduled retry finish and check status again. When recovery pauses after repeated crashes, fix the reported cause before retrying. If hosting is online but /ping does not reply, confirm that the invite was authorized for the right server, Tools & Utilities is enabled, and the bot can read and reply in your test channel. For welcome messages, select the correct Server and channel in module settings. Use a small feature test after changing modules or plans.