Project Setup

Overview

This guide walks you through setting up a clean, scalable Node.js + TypeScript project for building a Discord application. The structure and conventions follow modern best practices and are suitable for long-term maintenance.

Initializing the Project

Start by creating a new Node.js project. This will generate a package.json file to manage dependencies, scripts, and project metadata.

npm init -y

After running this command, a default package.json will be created in the root directory.

Installing TypeScript

Install TypeScript as a development dependency:

npm install -D typescript

TypeScript adds static typing, improves editor support, and helps prevent runtime errors.

Creating a TypeScript Configuration

Initialize the TypeScript configuration file:

npx tsc --init

This command creates a tsconfig.json file, which controls how your TypeScript code is compiled into JavaScript.

Recommended Project Structure

Below is a clean, scalable, and professional directory structure tailored for a TypeScript-based Discord bot.

mkdir src\commands\messageCommands\general `
     src\commands\slashCommands\general `
     src\configs `
     src\constants\images `
     src\events\client `
     src\events\server `
     src\handlers `
     src\interfaces `
     src\utils

Folder Purpose Overview

• commands/

  • messageCommands/general – Prefix-based or message commands
  • slashCommands/general – Slash command implementations

• configs/ – Bot configuration files (env loaders, settings, etc.)

• constants/ – Static values and reusable constants

• events/

  • client – Discord client events (ready, interactionCreate, etc.)
  • server – Process-level or external service events

• handlers/ – Command, event, and interaction loaders

• interfaces/ – TypeScript interfaces and types

• utils/ – Helper and utility functions

Next Recommended Steps

• Add an index.ts entry file inside src/

Updating tsconfig.json

Open tsconfig.json and ensure the following configuration is set:

{
  "compilerOptions": {
    "target": "es2017",
    "module": "commonjs",
    "strict": true,
    "resolveJsonModule": true,
    "esModuleInterop": true,
    "skipLibCheck": true,
    "forceConsistentCasingInFileNames": true,
    "outDir": "./dist",
    "rootDir": "./src",
    "sourceMap": true,
    "declaration": true,
    "declarationDir": "./types"
  },
  "include": ["src/**/*"],
  "exclude": ["node_modules", "dist"]
}

These options provide a good balance between type safety, performance, and compatibility with the Discord.js ecosystem.

Adding Build Scripts

Update the scripts section in your package.json file:

{
  "scripts": {
    "build": "tsc",
    "start": "node dist/index.js"
  }
}

• build – Compiles TypeScript into JavaScript
• start – Runs the compiled application

Verifying the Setup

Create a basic entry file at src/index.ts:

console.log('Project setup complete')

Compile and run the project:

npm run build
npm start

If the message appears in your terminal, the project setup is complete.