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Part 1: Create your Discord bot account

2 min readUpdated Nov 3, 2026

Part 1 of the Python Discord bot course: create an application in the Discord Developer Portal, get the bot token, keep it secret and invite the bot to your test server.

Your first Discord bot (Python course)
  1. Part 1: Create the bot account (you are here)
  2. Part 2: Hello world with a /ping command
  3. Part 3: Real commands, embeds, buttons and cogs
  4. Part 4: Save data with SQLite
  5. Part 5: Keep it online 24/7 on ESN

Every Discord bot is a special account that belongs to an application. In this part you create that application, get the bot's password (its token) and add the bot to a server you own. No code yet.

1. Create an application #

  1. Go to the Discord Developer Portal and log in with your Discord account.
  2. Choose New Application, type a name (you can change it later), accept the terms and choose Create.
  3. Optional: on General Information, add an icon and a short description. This is what people see on the bot's profile.

2. Get the bot token #

  1. Open the Bot page in the left menu.
  2. Choose Reset Token and confirm. Discord shows the token once. Copy it somewhere safe for now; in Part 2 it goes into a .env file.
  3. Scroll to Privileged Gateway Intents. Leave all three switched off. This course uses slash commands, which don't need them.
Your token is a password. Anyone who has it can control your bot. Never paste it in Discord, on GitHub or in a screenshot. If it leaks, come back to this page and choose Reset Token: the old one stops working at once.

3. Invite the bot to your test server #

  1. Open OAuth2, then URL Generator.
  2. Under Scopes, tick bot and applications.commands. The second one lets your bot add slash commands.
  3. Under Bot Permissions, tick Send Messages and Embed Links. Only give the permissions your bot needs; never tick Administrator for a simple bot.
  4. Copy the Generated URL at the bottom, open it in your browser, pick your test server and choose Authorize. You need the Manage Server permission in that server.

Your bot now appears in the member list, offline. It comes online when your code runs, which is Part 2.

Check before you continue #

  • You have the token saved privately.
  • The bot shows in your test server's member list.
  • The privileged intents are off (you can turn them on later if a feature needs them; see privileged intents explained).

FAQ #

I lost my bot token. Can I see it again?

No. Discord only shows it once. Choose Reset Token on the Bot page to get a new one, then update your .env file.

The bot doesn't show in my server.

Open the invite URL again and check you picked the right server, and that you have the Manage Server permission there. The bot shows as offline until your code runs.

Do I need the Message Content intent?

Not for slash commands. You only need it if your bot reads the text of normal messages, for example for old-style !commands.

Want your bot online 24/7? Part 5 shows how to run it on ESN Hosting, with bot hosting from $0.50/month. Read Part 5 or see bot plans.

Still stuck? Use the live chat on the panel or ask in the ESN Systems Discord. Last updated November 3, 2026.