CLI vs Manual Setup Comparison¶

This document compares the CLI scaffolding tool with manual project setup.

Time Comparison¶

Method	Setup Time	Complexity
CLI	~30 seconds	⭐ Easy
Manual	~5-10 minutes	⭐⭐⭐ Moderate

CLI Setup¶

Commands¶

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot
cd my-bot
# Edit .env with your token
npm start

What You Get¶

✅ Complete project structure
✅ Example commands (ping, help, userinfo)
✅ Example events (ready, guildCreate)
✅ Environment configuration (.env, .env.example)
✅ Git configuration (.gitignore)
✅ Package.json with scripts
✅ README with instructions
✅ Auto-installed dependencies

Files Created¶

my-bot/
├── commands/
│   ├── ping.js
│   ├── help.js
│   └── userinfo.js
├── events/
│   ├── ready.js
│   └── guildCreate.js
├── data/
│   └── .gitkeep
├── index.js
├── .env
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
├── package.json
├── README.md
└── node_modules/

Manual Setup¶

Commands¶

mkdir my-bot
cd my-bot
npm init -y
npm install @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs dotenv
mkdir commands events data
touch index.js .env .gitignore README.md
# Create all command files manually
# Create all event files manually
# Configure package.json
# Write all example code
# Create README

What You Need to Create¶

❌ Create directory structure manually
❌ Initialize npm manually
❌ Install dependencies manually
❌ Create .env and .gitignore manually
❌ Write index.js from scratch
❌ Create example commands manually
❌ Create example events manually
❌ Write README manually

Feature Comparison¶

Feature	CLI	Manual
Project scaffolding	Automatic	Manual
Example commands	✅ Included	❌ Write yourself
Example events	✅ Included	❌ Write yourself
.env configuration	✅ Generated	❌ Create manually
.gitignore	✅ Configured	❌ Create manually
README	✅ Generated	❌ Write yourself
Package.json scripts	✅ Configured	❌ Add manually
Templates	✅ 3 options	❌ One approach
Auto-install deps	✅ Optional	❌ Always manual
Interactive setup	✅ Yes	❌ No
Best practices	✅ Built-in	⚠️ Must know

CLI Template Options¶

Basic Template¶

Perfect for most users. Includes everything needed to get started quickly.

Setup:

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot
# or
npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot --template basic

Files: 8 files + 3 commands + 2 events

Advanced Template¶

For users who want plugins, configuration, and advanced features.

Setup:

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

Files: 10 files + 5 commands + 3 events + config.json

Additional features: - Plugin system integration - Configuration file - Advanced commands (poll, remind) - Advanced events (auto-moderation example) - Database setup - Scheduled tasks

Minimal Template¶

For experienced developers who want bare minimum.

Setup:

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

Files: 6 files, 0 commands, 0 events (starter code only)

When to Use Each Method¶

Use CLI When:¶

✅ You're new to betterdiscordjs
✅ You want to get started quickly
✅ You want example code to learn from
✅ You want best practices built-in
✅ You're creating multiple bots
✅ You want consistent project structure

Use Manual When:¶

✅ You're an experienced developer
✅ You want full control over structure
✅ You're integrating into existing project
✅ You have specific requirements
✅ You prefer building from scratch

Recommendation¶

For 95% of users: Use the CLI. It's faster, includes examples, and follows best practices.

For experienced developers: Use minimal template or manual setup if you have specific needs.

Equivalent Manual Setup for CLI Basic Template¶

If you want to manually recreate what the CLI does:

1. Initialize Project¶

mkdir my-bot && cd my-bot
npm init -y
npm install @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs dotenv

2. Create Structure¶

mkdir -p commands events data

3. Create .env¶

DISCORD_TOKEN=your_bot_token_here
CLIENT_ID=your_client_id_here
DEV_GUILD=your_dev_guild_id_here
PREFIX=!
BOT_OWNER_ID=your_user_id_here

4. Create .env.example¶

DISCORD_TOKEN=
CLIENT_ID=
DEV_GUILD=
PREFIX=!
BOT_OWNER_ID=

5. Create .gitignore¶

node_modules/
.env
data/*.json
!data/.gitkeep
*.log
logs/
.DS_Store
Thumbs.db
.vscode/
.idea/
*.swp
*.swo

6. Create index.js¶

const { Bot } = require('@axrxvm/betterdiscordjs');
require('dotenv').config();

const bot = new Bot(process.env.DISCORD_TOKEN, {
  prefix: process.env.PREFIX || '!',
  commandsDir: './commands',
  eventsDir: './events',
  devGuild: process.env.DEV_GUILD,
  clientId: process.env.CLIENT_ID
});

bot.onCommandRun((cmd, ctx) => {
  console.log(`✓ Command: ${cmd.name} by ${ctx.user.tag}`);
});

bot.on('ready', (ctx) => {
  console.log(`✓ Bot is ready! Logged in as ${ctx.user.tag}`);
});

bot.start();

7. Create commands/ping.js¶

module.exports = {
  name: 'ping',
  description: 'Check bot latency',
  slash: true,
  run: async (ctx) => {
    const latency = Date.now() - ctx.createdTimestamp;
    const apiLatency = Math.round(ctx.client.ws.ping);

    const embed = ctx.embed()
      .title('🏓 Pong!')
      .field('Bot Latency', `${latency}ms`, true)
      .field('API Latency', `${apiLatency}ms`, true)
      .color('green')
      .timestamp();

    await embed.send();
  }
};

8. Create commands/help.js¶

module.exports = {
  name: 'help',
  description: 'Show all available commands',
  slash: true,
  run: async (ctx) => {
    const commands = Array.from(ctx.bot.commands.values())
      .filter(cmd => !cmd.ownerOnly)
      .map(cmd => `\`${cmd.name}\` - ${cmd.description || 'No description'}`)
      .join('\n');

    const embed = ctx.embed()
      .title('📚 Available Commands')
      .desc(commands || 'No commands available')
      .footer('Use !help <command> for more info')
      .color('blue')
      .timestamp();

    await embed.send();
  }
};

9. Create commands/userinfo.js¶

module.exports = {
  name: 'userinfo',
  description: 'Get information about a user',
  slash: true,
  args: {
    usage: '[user]'
  },
  run: async (ctx) => {
    const user = ctx.interaction 
      ? ctx.interaction.options.getUser('user') || ctx.user
      : await ctx.fetchUser(ctx.args[0]) || ctx.user;

    const member = ctx.guild ? await ctx.guild.members.fetch(user.id).catch(() => null) : null;

    const embed = ctx.embed()
      .title(`👤 User Info: ${user.tag}`)
      .thumbnail(user.displayAvatarURL({ dynamic: true, size: 256 }))
      .field('ID', user.id, true)
      .field('Created', `<t:${Math.floor(user.createdTimestamp / 1000)}:R>`, true)
      .field('Bot', user.bot ? 'Yes' : 'No', true)
      .color('blue');

    if (member) {
      embed.field('Joined Server', `<t:${Math.floor(member.joinedTimestamp / 1000)}:R>`, true);
      embed.field('Roles', member.roles.cache.size.toString(), true);
    }

    await embed.send();
  }
};

10. Create events/ready.js¶

module.exports = {
  name: 'ready',
  once: true,
  run: (ctx) => {
    console.log(`✓ ${ctx.user.tag} is online!`);
    console.log(`✓ Serving ${ctx.client.guilds.cache.size} guilds`);
    console.log(`✓ Loaded ${ctx.bot.commands.size} commands`);
  }
};

11. Create events/guildCreate.js¶

module.exports = {
  name: 'guildCreate',
  run: async (ctx, guild) => {
    console.log(`✓ Joined new guild: ${guild.name} (${guild.id})`);

    const channel = guild.channels.cache
      .filter(ch => ch.type === 0 && ch.permissionsFor(guild.members.me).has('SendMessages'))
      .first();

    if (channel) {
      const embed = ctx.embed()
        .title('👋 Thanks for adding me!')
        .desc('Use `!help` to see available commands.')
        .color('green');

      await channel.send({ embeds: [embed.embed] });
    }
  }
};

12. Update package.json¶

Add scripts:

{
  "scripts": {
    "start": "node index.js",
    "dev": "node --watch index.js"
  }
}

13. Create README.md¶

(See CLI-generated README for full content)

14. Create data/.gitkeep¶

touch data/.gitkeep

Time Saved¶

CLI: 30 seconds + configuration time
Manual: 10-15 minutes minimum

The CLI saves you ~10-14 minutes per project!

Conclusion¶

The CLI tool automates the tedious parts of project setup, letting you focus on building your bot instead of configuring boilerplate. Unless you have specific requirements, always use the CLI.

Try it now:

npx @axrxvm/betterdiscordjs create my-bot