Team Hydra Documentation

Installing Node and your tools

This page is for people who have never set up a JavaScript project before. If you already have Node.js and an editor, skip to Getting Started.

This page is for people who have never set up a JavaScript project before. If you already have Node.js and an editor, skip to Getting Started.

By the end you will have: Node.js installed, a code editor, and an empty project folder ready for a bot.

1. Install Node.js

Node.js is the program that runs JavaScript on your computer (outside a web browser). A Discord bot is a Node.js program.

  • Go to nodejs.org and download the LTS ("Long Term Support") version.
  • Install it like any other app.
  • Athena needs Node 18 or newer. Newer is fine.

Check it worked. Open a terminal (on Windows use "PowerShell" or "Windows Terminal", on macOS use "Terminal", on Linux your usual shell) and run:

node --version
npm --version

You should see two version numbers. node runs your code; npm installs libraries (like Athena).

2. Install a code editor

Visual Studio Code (VS Code) is free and the most common choice. Install it. When you open a .ts file it will understand TypeScript and show you helpful popups, which makes learning Athena much easier.

3. Make a project folder

Pick a folder for your bot and open a terminal inside it. Then:

mkdir my-bot
cd my-bot
npm init -y

npm init -y creates a package.json file. That file is a list of your project's settings and the libraries it depends on. You do not need to understand all of it yet.

4. Install Athena and TypeScript

npm install athena
npm install --save-dev typescript tsx @types/node

What these are:

  • athena - the Discord library this wiki is about.
  • typescript - lets you write TypeScript, a friendlier version of JavaScript that catches mistakes as you type.
  • tsx - runs TypeScript files directly so you do not have to compile first while learning.
  • @types/node - type information for Node's built-in features.

The --save-dev flag means "these are only needed while developing, not when the bot finally runs."

5. Create a TypeScript config

Run:

npx tsc --init --target ES2022 --module CommonJS --strict

This creates tsconfig.json, which tells TypeScript how to understand your code. The defaults from that command are good for a bot.

6. You are ready

Your folder now has package.json, tsconfig.json, and a node_modules folder (the installed libraries). Next:

A note on the bot token and Discord setup

You also need a Discord application and a bot token before the bot can log in. That part is covered in Your first bot, step 1.