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Configuration

By Devvyyxyz

Xeno Bot is a scalable and customizable Discord bot built with discord.js. Configuration is managed through a mix of environment variables and JSON files. This guide will walk you through setting it up efficiently.

Configuration Files

The bot relies on the following JSON configuration files:

config/config.json

This file contains general bot settings, such as: - The command prefix - The owner's user ID

Example: 

{
  "prefix": "!",
  "owner": "YOUR_USER_ID"
}

Note

Ensure you replace "YOUR_USER_ID" with your Discord user ID to enable owner-specific commands.

config/bot.public.json

This file stores public bot metadata. The bot token is not stored here but is instead read from the TOKEN environment variable.

config/bot.dev.json

This file is similar to bot.public.json but is used for the development profile. By default, the development bot reads the token from the TOKEN_DEV environment variable.

Warning

Avoid committing sensitive values like bot tokens or user IDs to version control. Use .gitignore and secret management tools.

Environment Variables

The .env file is critical for storing sensitive information and runtime configurations. Start by copying .env.example to .env and updating values accordingly.

General Settings

TOKEN=YOUR_BOT_TOKEN
CLIENT_ID=YOUR_BOT_CLIENT_ID
GUILD_ID=123456789012345678  # Optional for testing commands in a single guild
  • TOKEN: Your bot's authentication token.
  • CLIENT_ID: The client ID of your Discord bot.
  • GUILD_ID (Optional): A test guild where commands are registered immediately during development.

Note

The GUILD_ID value allows faster development by limiting slash command updates to a single test server.

Logging Settings

LOG_LEVEL=info
  • LOG_LEVEL: Adjusts logging verbosity. Acceptable values:
  • info: Displays informational messages (default).
  • debug: Shows detailed logs during development.
  • warning: Logs potential issues that may need attention.
  • error: Logs critical problems.

Note

Use LOG_LEVEL=debug while debugging issues during development. Switch back to info in production environments.

Database Configuration

DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@host:port/database
DB_POOL_MAX=20
DB_POOL_MIN=2
  • DATABASE_URL: The connection string for your Postgres database.
  • DB_POOL_MAX: Sets the maximum number of database connections in the pool.
  • DB_POOL_MIN: Configures the minimum number of idle database connections.

Tip

For local development, Xeno Bot uses an SQLite database (data/dev.sqlite) by default. To use Postgres, set DATABASE_URL. The bot automatically migrates the database schema on startup.

Rate Limiting

RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED=true
RATE_LIMIT_GENERAL=10
RATE_LIMIT_EXPENSIVE=3
RATE_LIMIT_TRANSACTIONS=5

Rate limiting prevents spamming commands: - RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED: Enables/disables rate limiting globally. - RATE_LIMIT_GENERAL: Sets the limit for general commands (e.g., 10 commands every 10 seconds). - RATE_LIMIT_EXPENSIVE: Limits commands with heavy computations (e.g., 3 commands every 10 seconds). - RATE_LIMIT_TRANSACTIONS: Limits transaction-related commands (e.g., 5 commands every 30 seconds).

Important

Consider adjusting rate limits based on your server's scale to maintain performance while preventing abuse.

Optional Features

Telemetry (Crash Reporting)

SENTRY_DSN=https://[email protected]/project-id
- SENTRY_DSN (Optional): Enables Sentry integration for tracking errors and crashes.

Note

Sentry is optional but highly recommended for monitoring production environments.

Caching

CACHE_MAX_SIZE=10000
CACHE_DEFAULT_TTL=300000
- CACHE_MAX_SIZE: Maximum number of items that the bot can store in cache. - CACHE_DEFAULT_TTL: Time-to-live for cached items, in milliseconds (e.g., 5 minutes).

Performance Monitoring

LOG_PERFORMANCE=true
METRICS_INTERVAL=300000
- LOG_PERFORMANCE: Logs performance metrics when enabled. - METRICS_INTERVAL: Specifies the interval (in ms) for logging performance metrics.

Running Xeno Bot

Development Mode

Use the following commands to test or deploy Xeno Bot:

  • Install Dependencies:

    npm install

  • Deploy Commands:

    npm run deploy-commands

  • Start the Bot in Development:

    npm run start:dev

Note

This runs the bot in development mode, where commands are registered only in the test guild (if GUILD_ID is set).

Production Mode

To run the bot in production: 

npm start

Example Configuration Setup

Here's an example .env file with all configurations in use:

# Bot Settings
TOKEN=your-token-here
CLIENT_ID=your-client-id-here
GUILD_ID=your-guild-id-here

# Logging
LOG_LEVEL=info

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:password@host:port/database
DB_POOL_MAX=20
DB_POOL_MIN=2

# Caching
CACHE_MAX_SIZE=10000
CACHE_DEFAULT_TTL=300000

# Rate Limiting
RATE_LIMIT_ENABLED=true
RATE_LIMIT_GENERAL=10
RATE_LIMIT_EXPENSIVE=5
RATE_LIMIT_TRANSACTIONS=8

# Monitoring & Telemetry
LOG_PERFORMANCE=true
METRICS_INTERVAL=300000
SENTRY_DSN=https://[email protected]/project-id