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

Go to panel.fps.ms and select your Discord bot server
Open the Files tab
Create a new file named .env in the root directory
Add your variables in KEY=value format, one per line:

.env

BOT_TOKEN=MTIzNDU2Nzg5.abc123.xyz789
BOT_PREFIX=!
GUILD_ID=123456789

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](/discord-bots/adding-slash-commands/) 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](/discord-bots/getting-your-bot-token/)
`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

Install your Discord bot — full setup guide for Python and Node.js
Get your bot token — create an application and generate a token
Edit your code — update files via the panel, SFTP, or VS Code
Add slash commands — modern Discord bot commands

Using environment variables

Why use environment variables?

Creating a .env file on FPS.ms

Reading environment variables in your code

Python

Node.js

Common environment variables for Discord bots

Migrating from hardcoded tokens

Python — before and after

Node.js — before and after

Troubleshooting

Next steps

Related Articles

Using environment variables

Why use environment variables?

Creating a .env file on FPS.ms

Reading environment variables in your code

Python

Node.js

Common environment variables for Discord bots

Migrating from hardcoded tokens

Python — before and after

Node.js — before and after

Troubleshooting

Next steps

Related Articles

Installation

Editing code

Getting your bot token