I manage over 25 Discord servers and want to create custom bots using Python. The coding part isn’t my main concern, but I’m struggling with the hosting setup.
I’ve thought about three different options:
Cloud hosting - This seems expensive since the bots need to stay online 24/7. There are so many hosting providers out there and I’m not sure which ones are actually reliable.
Raspberry Pi setup - Maybe get 2-3 units to distribute the load and prevent overheating. I’m wondering if Arduino boards could work too but I doubt they have enough power.
Custom PC build - Using a gaming motherboard and building a dedicated server machine.
Has anyone dealt with hosting multiple Discord bots before? What approach worked best for you in terms of cost and reliability?
i’ve been runing like 12 bots on a cheap vps too, and it works fine! you dont need anything fancy. just try a small plan first, see how your bots behave, then you can upscale if necessary. good luck!
For 25+ bots, I’d go with a custom PC build if your home internet’s decent. Went through the same hosting nightmare two years back and ended up building a basic server - old Ryzen 5, 16GB RAM. Electricity’s way cheaper than cloud hosting, plus you control everything. Downside? You’re handling backups and internet outages yourself, but the savings make it worth it. Get proper cooling and maybe a UPS for power protection. Arduino boards won’t work - they can’t handle Python Discord libraries.
Hit this exact problem six months ago scaling from 8 to 30+ bots across different communities. Started with cloud hosting but bills got insane fast - $200+ monthly just for basic instances handling the connections. Switched to a hybrid setup that’s been perfect. Got three Raspberry Pi 4s with 8GB RAM each, running 8-10 lightweight bots per unit. Key is load balancing based on server activity, not splitting them evenly. Most Discord bots sit idle 90% of the time anyway, so Pi hardware handles it fine unless you’re doing heavy image processing or complex database stuff. Total setup under $300, monthly costs basically zero. Only maintenance is occasional reboots and keeping SD cards healthy. Home internet’s been more reliable than half the budget VPS providers I’ve tried.
Been in your exact situation last year managing bots for multiple game communities. All three options you listed work, but they miss the real issue - maintenance overhead.
I spent weeks fighting server configs, monitoring uptime, handling crashes, and dealing with Python dependency hell. The Raspberry Pi worked initially but became a nightmare when bots started going offline randomly.
Game changer was switching to automation workflows instead of traditional hosting. I rebuilt most Discord bots using webhook triggers and API calls through automated workflows. No servers to maintain, no uptime headaches, way cheaper than 24/7 cloud hosting.
You can handle Discord events, process data, make API calls to other services, and respond back to channels without keeping Python scripts running constantly. Works for most bot use cases unless you need real-time voice processing or something exotic.
For 25+ bots, this scales way better than managing multiple server instances. You only pay for actual usage instead of keeping VMs running all day doing nothing.
Check out Latenode for this setup. Much more elegant than traditional hosting: https://latenode.com