To keep your bot secure, set sensitive credentials as environment variables instead of storing them in config.json.

Create a .env.ps1 file (or add to your PowerShell profile):

# Discord Bot Configuration
$env:DISCORD_TOKEN = "your_discord_bot_token_here"
$env:DISCORD_CHANNEL = "your_discord_channel_id_here"

# 7 Days to Die Server Configuration  
$env:TELNET_PASSWORD = "your_telnet_password_here"
$env:TELNET_IP = "your_server_ip_here"
$env:TELNET_PORT = "your_telnet_port_here"

# Run the bot
Write-Host "Starting Dishorde bot with secure environment variables..."
node index.js

Then run: powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .env.ps1

Create a .env.sh file:

#!/bin/bash

# Discord Bot Configuration
export DISCORD_TOKEN="your_discord_bot_token_here"
export DISCORD_CHANNEL="your_discord_channel_id_here"

# 7 Days to Die Server Configuration
export TELNET_PASSWORD="your_telnet_password_here"
export TELNET_IP="your_server_ip_here"
export TELNET_PORT="your_telnet_port_here"

# Run the bot
echo "Starting Dishorde bot with secure environment variables..."
node index.js

Then run: chmod +x .env.sh && ./env.sh

For Docker deployments, use environment variables:

ENV DISCORD_TOKEN=your_discord_bot_token_here
ENV DISCORD_CHANNEL=your_discord_channel_id_here
ENV TELNET_PASSWORD=your_telnet_password_here
ENV TELNET_IP=your_server_ip_here
ENV TELNET_PORT=your_telnet_port_here

Set these as repository secrets:

• DISCORD_TOKEN
• TELNET_PASSWORD
• TELNET_IP
• TELNET_PORT
• DISCORD_CHANNEL

The bot will use environment variables if available, otherwise fall back to config.json values:

1. Environment Variables (highest priority, most secure)
2. config.json (fallback, should use placeholder values)

• Never commit real credentials to version control
• Use placeholder values in config.json (like "yourbottoken")
• Environment variables are not visible in process lists on most systems
• Consider using a secrets management system for production deployments

The bot will automatically validate that required credentials are set and exit with helpful error messages if they're missing.