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Using environment variables

Store your Discord bot token and config values securely using a .env file on FPS.ms instead of hardcoding them in your code.

CanerAkar Updated
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Environment variables let you store your bot token, API keys, and configuration values outside of your code. On FPS.ms, you do this with a .env file. This keeps secrets secure and makes it easy to change settings without editing your bot's source files.

Why use environment variables?

Approach Security Convenience
Hardcoded in code Anyone who sees your code sees your token Must edit code to change values
Config file (config.json) Better, but still in your code repo Need to upload new file for changes
.env file Not part of your code Edit one file to change values

Never hardcode your token

If your bot token is in your code and you push to a public GitHub repo, your bot will be compromised within minutes. Bots scrape GitHub for leaked tokens. Always use a .env file.

Creating a .env file on FPS.ms

  1. Go to panel.fps.ms and select your Discord bot server
  2. Open the Files tab
  3. Create a new file named .env in the root directory
  4. Add your variables in KEY=value format, one per line:
.env
BOT_TOKEN=MTIzNDU2Nzg5.abc123.xyz789
BOT_PREFIX=!
GUILD_ID=123456789
  1. Save the file and restart your server for the changes to take effect

No spaces around the equals sign

Write BOT_TOKEN=yourtoken, not BOT_TOKEN = yourtoken. Extra spaces can cause the value to be read incorrectly.

Keep .env out of Git

If you use a GitHub repository to deploy your bot, add .env to your .gitignore file so your token is never pushed to GitHub. Create the .env file directly on the FPS.ms panel instead.

Reading environment variables in your code

Python

Python needs the python-dotenv package to load .env files. Add it to your requirements.txt:

requirements.txt
discord.py
python-dotenv

Then load the .env file at the top of your app.py:

app.py
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
import discord

load_dotenv()

TOKEN = os.environ['BOT_TOKEN']
PREFIX = os.environ.get('BOT_PREFIX', '!')  # defaults to '!' if not set

intents = discord.Intents.default()
intents.message_content = True

client = discord.Client(intents=intents)
client.run(TOKEN)
Method Behavior
os.environ['BOT_TOKEN'] Raises KeyError if not set — use for required values
os.environ.get('BOT_PREFIX', '!') Returns default value if not set — use for optional values

Node.js

Node.js needs the dotenv package to load .env files. Add it to your package.json:

package.json (dependencies section)
{
    "dependencies": {
        "discord.js": "latest",
        "dotenv": "latest"
    }
}

Then load the .env file at the top of your index.js:

index.js
require('dotenv').config();
const { Client, GatewayIntentBits } = require('discord.js');

const TOKEN = process.env.BOT_TOKEN;
const PREFIX = process.env.BOT_PREFIX || '!'; // defaults to '!' if not set

const client = new Client({ intents: [GatewayIntentBits.Guilds] });
client.login(TOKEN);

Common environment variables for Discord bots

Here are some useful variables you might want to set in your .env file:

Variable Example value Purpose
BOT_TOKEN MTIz...abc Your Discord bot token (required)
BOT_PREFIX ! Command prefix for message-based commands
GUILD_ID 123456789 Your test server ID for development
OWNER_ID 987654321 Your Discord user ID for owner-only commands
CLIENT_ID 111222333 Your application ID for slash command registration
DATABASE_URL sqlite:///bot.db Database connection string

Migrating from hardcoded tokens

If your bot currently has the token hardcoded, here is how to migrate:

Python — before and after

Before (insecure)
client.run('MTIzNDU2Nzg5.abc123.xyz789')
After (secure)
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv

load_dotenv()
client.run(os.environ['BOT_TOKEN'])

Don't forget to add python-dotenv to your requirements.txt.

Node.js — before and after

Before (insecure)
client.login('MTIzNDU2Nzg5.abc123.xyz789');
After (secure)
require('dotenv').config();
client.login(process.env.BOT_TOKEN);

If you were using a config.json file:

Before (config.json)
const { token } = require('./config.json');
client.login(token);
After (.env file)
require('dotenv').config();
client.login(process.env.BOT_TOKEN);

You can then delete the config.json file from your server.

Troubleshooting

Problem Cause Fix
KeyError: 'BOT_TOKEN' (Python) .env file missing or load_dotenv() not called Create .env and add load_dotenv() before accessing variables
TOKEN_INVALID Token value is wrong Copy the token again from the Developer Portal
ModuleNotFoundError: dotenv python-dotenv not installed Add python-dotenv to requirements.txt
Cannot find module 'dotenv' dotenv not in dependencies Add dotenv to package.json dependencies
Changes not taking effect Server not restarted Restart your server after editing .env

Next steps