Devlog 2 - server setup & modular command system & more [03/07/2026]
time logged: 10hr 57 min
so since the last devlog, i’ve have worked on LOADS of things including behind the scene (this doesnt get tracked on hacaktime :( ), i dont even know if this will hit the char limit, but anyways, here are the logs
EDIT: IT DID HIT THE CHAR LIMIT, turns out the original devlog was ~9.6k characters đź’€ while the limit is only 4k, so this is the shortened version. the full one is still in priv/devlogs/devlog2.md if anyone wants the extended edition.z
Commits logs
e47c48ac0970b49015e920607a59657259122f2f - made the cur proj into more modular featuring dynamic command loading system w commands.json as the source of truth
on this, i figured out that packing every single thing into one file is a bad idea, so i made a modular command system that loads commands dynamically from a commands.json file, this way, i can add new commands without having to touch the main bot.js file, and also, it makes it easier to manage commands since they are all in one place
03b07ffc6f44d0231f9073f637caee1f9437705a) - added more detailed server logging with time & user at the start of most console logs onto terminal [coloured output]
this was way more of a pain than i thought it was gonna be. after countless rounds of testing i finally got it working how i wanted. the ansi colours kept either leaking into the rest of the terminal or resetting back to the default colour when i needed them to go back to the current log level. i was genuinely losing my mind because every “fix” just broke something else. after hours of messing around i ended up making a wrapper so instead of resetting after things like the username or command, it switches back to whatever the current log level colour is (info, success or error), then only resets once right at the end of the log. it took way longer than it should’ve and nearly made me give up, but it finally does exactly what i wanted and nothing leaks anymore.added src/utils/logger.js and switched almost every console.log over to it. it adds timestamps, users, commands and coloured log levels.and changed all the console logs in src/bot.js and src/cmds/ to use the new logger api
b81c739cc06edba2895695e51dbbf88d8868f19f - overhauled readme
well as the name implies its pretty self explanatory lol but i massively expanded the README with better documentation and setup instructions.
Server setup
find more info in the setup guide on Step 7 out of 8 in https://stardance.hackclub.com/missions/slack-bot/guide#step-7
i had to apply for a Nest server and get SSH access.yeah so basically my starting gear is a potato server (2GB RAM, 16GB storage) but that’s more than enough for this bot. i also got to mess around with linux for a bit (yes i am a windows user). honestly… i kinda liked it and i’m like 80% convinced i’ll switch one day (but too much of a hassle to switch rn, but maybe in the future).
after installing everything, setting up the environment variables and creating a systemd service, i finally got the bot running 24/7.TL;DR: i got the bot running 24/7 in the server and it works perfectly fine, and i can now add new commands without having to touch the main bot.js file, and also, and added detailed server logging with time & user
aight y’all i spent an ENTIRE HOUR writing this devlog and THEN i had to rewrite a shortened down version, y’all better rate me 9/9 for story telling, rylvion signing out 🫡 pls see my full devlog version
