Best Practices

A curated set of best practices recommended for bot lists

Best Practices for Discord Bot Lists

Bot lists must meet these minimum requirements to be considered a bot list.

use a custom domain name with a respectable, paid TLD.
not be a [xyz].glitch.me, [xyz].repl.co or any free (sub)domain with free hosting provider.
- Glitch, Repl, or any other free host is acceptable if:
  - Uptime is immaculate
  - A custom domain name is used (whilst still following point 1)
be fully functioning.
- No broken links/buttons.
have consistent uptime.
- Minor downtime for maintenance or fixing issues is fine
have bot listing requirements (such as no NSFW outside NSFW channels, respect rate-limits, don’t respond to other bots, etc.)
blur NSFW profile pictures.
have a ToS and Privacy page.

Bot lists should meet these requirements to be a good bot list.

not display all bots on the homepage.
not be hosted on any free hosting provider.
be mobile friendly.
not be paid access only.
have an API with good documentation.
- API should support GETting bot information
  - Sends a JSON body for the response data
- API should support POSTing bot stats
  - Server/guild count
  - Shard support
  - Uses an Authorization header
  - Accepts a JSON body format for data
respond with correct status codes.
- All pages that load correctly should respond with a 2xx status code
- Not found (404) pages should respond with a 404 status code
- Any API should also send correct status codes
not overuse ads. Ads are okay, but shouldn’t influence the browsing experience in a negative way.
have API (and the frontend if possible) ratelimits. (60 requests per minute recommended)
have a way for users to contact the folks operating the site (email, Discord, etc.).
notify users beforehand when your TOS or privacy policy is changing.
not be a copy of other’s bot lists (open sourced lists, including lists that are edited or modified from other’s lists).

If anyone wants to change or add something, please make a pull request.