CLI Examples¶

Practical examples of using the betterdiscordjs CLI tool.

Basic Usage¶

Interactive Setup¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot

This will prompt you for: - Template choice (basic/advanced/minimal) - Command prefix - Whether to install dependencies

Non-Interactive Setup¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --yes

Uses all defaults: - Template: basic - Prefix: ! - Auto-install: yes

Template Examples¶

Create Basic Bot¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --template basic
cd my-bot

What you get: - Commands: ping, help, userinfo - Events: ready, guildCreate - Full documentation

Create Advanced Bot¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create advanced-bot --template advanced
cd advanced-bot

What you get: - Everything in basic plus: - Commands: poll, remind - Events: messageCreate with auto-moderation - Plugin system setup - Configuration file - Database setup

Create Minimal Bot¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create minimal-bot --template minimal
cd minimal-bot

What you get: - Basic index.js only - No example commands/events - Perfect for experienced devs

Custom Prefix Examples¶

Using Interactive Mode¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot
# When prompted, enter your desired prefix: $

Pre-configured Project¶

# Create project
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --yes

# Update prefix in .env
cd my-bot
echo "PREFIX=$" >> .env

Multiple Bots¶

Create Multiple Bots at Once¶

# Production bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create prod-bot --template advanced -y

# Development bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create dev-bot --template basic -y

# Testing bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create test-bot --template minimal -y

Different Configurations¶

# Moderation bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create mod-bot --template advanced
cd mod-bot
# Configure for moderation in config.json

# Music bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create music-bot --template basic
cd music-bot
# Add music commands

# Utility bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create util-bot --template basic
cd util-bot
# Add utility commands

CI/CD Integration¶

GitHub Actions Workflow¶

name: Create Bot

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
    inputs:
      bot_name:
        description: 'Bot name'
        required: true
        default: 'my-bot'

jobs:
  create:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - name: Create bot project
        run: npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create ${{ github.event.inputs.bot_name }} --yes --no-install

      - name: Install dependencies
        run: |
          cd ${{ github.event.inputs.bot_name }}
          npm install

      - name: Configure bot
        run: |
          cd ${{ github.event.inputs.bot_name }}
          echo "DISCORD_TOKEN=${{ secrets.DISCORD_TOKEN }}" > .env
          echo "CLIENT_ID=${{ secrets.CLIENT_ID }}" >> .env
          echo "PREFIX=!" >> .env

      - name: Upload artifact
        uses: actions/upload-artifact@v3
        with:
          name: bot-project
          path: ${{ github.event.inputs.bot_name }}

Docker Setup¶

FROM node:18-alpine

WORKDIR /app

# Create bot using CLI
RUN npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create bot --yes --no-install

WORKDIR /app/bot

# Install dependencies
RUN npm install

# Copy environment configuration
COPY .env .env

# Start bot
CMD ["npm", "start"]

Docker Compose¶

version: '3.8'

services:
  bot:
    build: .
    environment:
      - DISCORD_TOKEN=${DISCORD_TOKEN}
      - CLIENT_ID=${CLIENT_ID}
      - PREFIX=!
    restart: unless-stopped

Scripted Setup¶

Bash Script¶

#!/bin/bash

# Create and configure bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create $1 --yes

cd $1

# Configure environment
cat > .env << EOF
DISCORD_TOKEN=$DISCORD_TOKEN
CLIENT_ID=$CLIENT_ID
DEV_GUILD=$DEV_GUILD
PREFIX=!
EOF

# Start bot
npm start

Usage:

export DISCORD_TOKEN="your_token"
export CLIENT_ID="your_client_id"
export DEV_GUILD="your_guild_id"
./create-bot.sh my-awesome-bot

PowerShell Script¶

param(
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
    [string]$BotName,

    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
    [string]$Template = "basic"
)

# Create bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create $BotName --template $Template --yes

Set-Location $BotName

# Configure environment
@"
DISCORD_TOKEN=$env:DISCORD_TOKEN
CLIENT_ID=$env:CLIENT_ID
DEV_GUILD=$env:DEV_GUILD
PREFIX=!
"@ | Out-File -FilePath .env

# Start bot
npm start

Usage:

$env:DISCORD_TOKEN = "your_token"
$env:CLIENT_ID = "your_client_id"
$env:DEV_GUILD = "your_guild_id"
.\create-bot.ps1 -BotName "my-bot" -Template "advanced"

Package Manager Examples¶

Using npm¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot
cd my-bot
npm start

Using pnpm¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --no-install
cd my-bot
pnpm install
pnpm start

Using yarn¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --no-install
cd my-bot
yarn install
yarn start

Using bun¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --no-install
cd my-bot
bun install
bun index.js

Advanced Examples¶

Custom Template Location¶

# Create bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --yes

# Replace with custom template
cd my-bot
rm -rf commands events
cp -r ../my-custom-template/* .
npm start

Automated Testing Setup¶

# Create bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create test-bot --template basic --yes

cd test-bot

# Add testing dependencies
npm install --save-dev jest @types/jest

# Create test directory
mkdir tests

# Add test script to package.json
npm pkg set scripts.test="jest"

# Create sample test
cat > tests/commands.test.js << 'EOF'
describe('Commands', () => {
  test('ping command exists', () => {
    const fs = require('fs');
    expect(fs.existsSync('./commands/ping.js')).toBe(true);
  });
});
EOF

# Run tests
npm test

Multi-Environment Setup¶

# Development
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --template basic --yes
cd my-bot
cp .env .env.development
cp .env .env.production

# Configure different tokens for each environment
echo "DISCORD_TOKEN=dev_token" > .env.development
echo "DISCORD_TOKEN=prod_token" > .env.production

# Start with specific env
NODE_ENV=development node index.js
# or
NODE_ENV=production node index.js

Monorepo Setup¶

mkdir my-discord-bots
cd my-discord-bots

# Initialize monorepo
npm init -y

# Create multiple bots
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create bot1 --yes --no-install
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create bot2 --yes --no-install
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create bot3 --yes --no-install

# Install dependencies from root
npm install --workspaces

# Configure package.json
npm pkg set workspaces='["bot1","bot2","bot3"]'

Troubleshooting Examples¶

Permission Issues¶

# Linux/Mac: If you get permission errors
sudo npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot

# Better: Fix npm permissions
mkdir ~/.npm-global
npm config set prefix '~/.npm-global'
export PATH=~/.npm-global/bin:$PATH
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot

Network Issues¶

# Use different registry
npm config set registry https://registry.npmjs.org/
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot

# Or use yarn
yarn dlx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot

Cleanup Failed Attempts¶

# Remove failed project
rm -rf my-bot

# Try again with verbose output
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --verbose

Production Deployment Examples¶

Heroku¶

# Create bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create heroku-bot --yes

cd heroku-bot

# Initialize git
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

# Create Heroku app
heroku create my-discord-bot

# Set environment variables
heroku config:set DISCORD_TOKEN=your_token
heroku config:set CLIENT_ID=your_client_id

# Deploy
git push heroku main

Railway¶

# Create bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create railway-bot --yes

cd railway-bot

# Initialize git
git init
git add .
git commit -m "Initial commit"

# Deploy to Railway (using Railway CLI)
railway init
railway up

DigitalOcean App Platform¶

# Create bot
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create do-bot --yes

cd do-bot

# Create app spec
cat > .do/app.yaml << EOF
name: discord-bot
services:
  - name: bot
    source_dir: /
    run_command: npm start
    envs:
      - key: DISCORD_TOKEN
        value: \${DISCORD_TOKEN}
EOF

# Deploy using doctl
doctl apps create --spec .do/app.yaml

Quick Reference¶

# Basic usage
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create <name>

# With options
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create <name> [--template <type>] [--yes] [--no-install]

# Templates
--template basic      # Default, complete setup
--template advanced   # With plugins and config
--template minimal    # Bare minimum

# Flags
--yes, -y            # Skip prompts
--no-install         # Skip npm install
--help, -h           # Show help

More examples? Check the full CLI documentation