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Gamer100309 edited this page Dec 26, 2025 · 7 revisions

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions and answers about the MC Server Status Bot.


🚀 General Questions

What is this bot?

A Discord bot that monitors Minecraft servers and displays real-time status updates with player counts, latency, and server icons.

Is it free?

Yes! Completely free and open source under GPL v3.

What Minecraft versions are supported?

  • Java Edition (all versions)
  • Bedrock Edition (all versions)

How many servers can I monitor?

Unlimited! Monitor as many servers as you want.


📦 Installation Questions

Do I need a VPS/dedicated server?

No! The bot can run on:

  • Your home PC (Windows/Linux/Mac)
  • Raspberry Pi
  • VPS/Cloud server
  • Any computer with Node.js

Can I run it 24/7 on my PC?

Yes, but your PC must stay on. For 24/7 uptime, consider:

  • VPS (cheap, $3-5/month)
  • Raspberry Pi (one-time cost)
  • Free tier cloud services

How much resources does it use?

Very light:

  • RAM: ~50-150 MB
  • CPU: <1% idle, ~5% when updating
  • Disk: ~100 MB

🤖 Discord Bot Questions

Do I need my own Discord bot?

Yes! You need to create a bot on Discord Developer Portal. See Discord Bot Setup.

Can multiple people use the same bot?

Yes! One bot can serve unlimited Discord servers (guilds).

Why doesn't the bot respond to commands?

Common causes:

  1. Bot offline
  2. Missing applications.commands scope
  3. No permissions in channel
  4. Discord cache (restart Discord)

🛑 Stopping the Bot

How do I stop the bot?

See the complete guide: How to Stop the Bot

Quick commands:

  • Windows: taskkill /F /IM node.exe
  • Linux/macOS: pkill -f "node index.js"

Started in background mode? The bot might run as the installer binary. See the full guide.


Why is my bot sending embeds twice (or multiple times)?

Cause: The bot is running multiple times!

How to check:

Windows:

tasklist | findstr "node.exe"

Linux/macOS:

ps aux | grep "node index.js" | grep -v grep

If you see multiple processes, you have multiple bot instances running.

Solution:

  1. Stop ALL bot processes - see How to Stop the Bot
  2. Start the bot only ONCE
  3. Verify only one process is running

Why is my bot still showing online in Discord after I stopped it?

Wait a few minutes! Discord can take 2-5 minutes to update the bot's status.

If bot is still online after 5+ minutes:

The bot is still running somewhere!

Check these locations:

  1. Your PC - Check Task Manager / terminal
  2. VPS/Server - SSH and check processes
  3. Another computer - Did you start it somewhere else?
  4. Background process - Installer binary might still be running

How to find it:

See the complete guide: How to Stop the Bot

Special checks:

Linux - Check for installer binary:

ps aux | grep "RedCity_Industries" | grep -v grep
pkill -9 -f "RedCity_Industries"

Windows - Check for installer binary:

tasklist | findstr "RedCity_Industries"
taskkill /F /IM RedCity_Industries*.exe

Still online? Check the logs:

tail -f logs/bot-$(date +%Y-%m-%d).log

Then run a command in Discord. If the log updates, the bot is running on that machine!


🔧 Configuration Questions

Where are config files located?

MC-Server-Status-Bot/
├── global-config.json          # Bot token, global settings
└── configs/
    └── [guild-id].json         # Per-server settings

Can I change the update frequency?

Yes! Edit configs/[guild-id].json:

{
  "updateInterval": 60000
}

(60000 = 1 minute, in milliseconds)

How do I change the language?

Edit global-config.json:

{
  "language": "de"
}

Then run /reload

Available: en, de (more coming!)


🌐 Server Monitoring Questions

Why does it show "Server Offline"?

Possible causes:

  1. Server is actually offline
  2. Wrong IP/port
  3. Firewall blocking queries
  4. Server doesn't allow status queries

Solution:

  • Verify server is online
  • Check IP and port are correct
  • For Java: Enable enable-query=true in server.properties

How often does it update?

Default: Every 60 seconds

Customizable per guild (see configuration question above).

Can it show mods/plugins?

No, the bot shows:

  • Online/Offline status
  • Player count (current/max)
  • Server latency
  • Server icon (Java Edition)
  • MOTD (Message of the Day)

Does it work with modded servers?

Yes! Works with:

  • Vanilla
  • Forge
  • Fabric
  • Paper, Spigot, Bukkit
  • Any server that responds to status queries

🎨 Customization Questions

Can I change the embed color?

Yes! Edit your guild config:

{
  "embedColor": "#00FF00"
}

Can I use custom emojis?

Yes! Edit your guild config:

{
  "emojis": {
    "online": "<:online:123456789>",
    "offline": "<:offline:987654321>"
  }
}

Can I customize the status message?

Currently limited. The message format is defined in language files.

For advanced customization, edit languages/[language].json


🌍 Translation Questions

How do I add a new language?

See our Contributing Translations guide!

Can I modify existing translations?

Yes! Edit the language file and submit a PR, or customize locally.

What languages are available?

Currently:

  • 🇬🇧 English (en)
  • 🇩🇪 German (de)

More coming! Contribute yours!


🐛 Troubleshooting Questions

Bot crashes on start

Common causes:

  1. Invalid bot token
  2. Missing dependencies
  3. Node.js version too old

Solution:

  1. Check global-config.json has valid token
  2. Run npm install
  3. Update Node.js to 18+

Commands don't work

See Troubleshooting Guide

High memory usage

If bot uses >300 MB:

  1. Restart bot
  2. Check for memory leaks in logs
  3. Update to latest version
  4. Report issue on GitHub

🔒 Security Questions

Is my bot token safe?

Your token is stored in global-config.json locally.

Keep it safe:

  • Never commit to Git (use .gitignore)
  • Don't share screenshots with token
  • Regenerate if exposed

Can others see my config?

No, config files are local to your installation.

Does the bot collect data?

No! The bot:

  • ✅ Does NOT collect user data
  • ✅ Does NOT send data to external servers
  • ✅ Only queries your configured Minecraft servers
  • ✅ Completely open source (audit the code!)

💰 Cost Questions

Is there a paid version?

No, this is 100% free forever.

Do I need to pay for hosting?

Only if you want 24/7 uptime on a VPS.

Free options:

  • Run on your PC (free, but must stay on)
  • Raspberry Pi (one-time cost)
  • Some cloud services have free tiers

Can I donate?

⭐ Star the repo on GitHub!
🐛 Report bugs
🌍 Contribute translations
📣 Share with others


🔄 Update Questions

How do I update the bot?

# Pull latest changes
git pull

# Update dependencies
npm install

# Restart bot

Will updates break my config?

Usually no, but check the changelog for breaking changes.

Always backup configs/ before updating!

How do I know when updates are available?

  • Watch the GitHub repo
  • Check [Releases(https://github.com/Gamer100309/MC-Server-Status-Bot/releases)
  • Join Discussions for announcements

📚 Still Have Questions?


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