Developer Community

Help developers get unstuck and share what they build. Questions get their own posts with language tags and a Solved state, showcases and collaborations are organised, releases arrive in a followable channel, and AutoMod blocks messages that look like leaked API keys or tokens.

Built for: Programming and learn-to-code communities · Open-source project communities · Framework and library user groups · Hackathon and developer-meetup groups

Create each category with its permissions first, then add channels inside it and keep them synced to the category. Channel types used: Text, Announcement, Forum, Voice, Stage.

Create roles in this order, from the top of the role list down. A role can only manage roles below it, and bot roles must sit above any role they assign.

Different staff setup or bots? Adapt this hierarchy in the roles generator.

1. Owner

   Display role for the owner.

   How members get it

   Owner account.

   Display

   Shown separately · Not mentionable

   Enable

   No permissions (cosmetic or ping role)

   Withhold

   Administrator — not needed

2. Admin

   Manages configuration and webhooks.

   How members get it

   Assigned by the owner.

   Display

   Shown separately · Not mentionable

   Enable

   Manage Server, Manage Roles, Manage Channels, Manage Webhooks, View Audit Log, Ban Members, Kick Members, Timeout Members, Manage Messages, Manage Threads

   Withhold

   Administrator

3. Moderator

   Enforces rules and removes unsafe links or code.

   How members get it

   Assigned by Admins.

   Display

   Shown separately · Mentionable

   Enable

   Timeout Members, Kick Members, Manage Messages, Manage Threads, Manage Nicknames, View Audit Log, Bypass Slowmode

   Withhold

   Manage Roles; Manage Webhooks; Ban Members until trusted

4. Maintainer

   Project maintainers, for open-source communities.

   How members get it

   Assigned by Admins.

   Display

   Shown separately · Mentionable

   Enable

   Manage Threads, Create Events, Manage Events, Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles

   Withhold

   Manage Webhooks unless they manage releases; Kick Members; Ban Members

5. Helper

   Experienced members who answer questions and tidy the help forum.

   How members get it

   Assigned by staff to regular, helpful members.

   Display

   Shown separately · Not mentionable

   Enable

   Manage Threads

   Withhold

   Timeout Members; Manage Messages

6. Contributor

   Recognition for people who've contributed to the project.

   How members get it

   Assigned by Maintainers.

   Display

   Not separated · Not mentionable

   Enable

   No permissions (cosmetic or ping role)

7. Member

   Everyone who has completed onboarding.

   How members get it

   Granted by Community Onboarding: add it to every answer of the required experience question.

   Display

   Not separated · Not mentionable

   Enable

   View Channels, Send Messages, Send Messages in Threads, Create Public Threads, Read Message History, Add Reactions, Attach Files, Embed Links, Connect, Speak, Request to Speak

   Withhold

   Mention @everyone, @here, and All Roles

8. Language roles (Python, JavaScript, Rust…)

   Find people using the same stack.

   How members get it

   Self-assigned through onboarding. Keep them non-mentionable so nobody pings hundreds of people for help.

   Display

   Not separated · Not mentionable

   Enable

   No permissions (cosmetic or ping role)

9. Release Ping / Events Ping

   Opt-in notifications for releases and talks.

   How members get it

   Self-assigned; Maintainers mention them.

   Display

   Not separated · Not mentionable

   Enable

   No permissions (cosmetic or ping role)

Community Onboarding asks about experience and languages, so helpers know who they're answering and members see the right tags.

Default channels: rules, how-to-ask, announcements, help, code-review, quick-questions, general, showcase, collaborate, resources, changelog-discussion

Discord requires at least 7 default channels for Community Onboarding, and @everyone must be able to view and send messages in at least 5 of them.

Suggested first steps: Read #how-to-ask → Post your question in #help with a language tag → Share a project in #showcase

Verification level

Medium — A verified email and an account registered for more than 5 minutes; developer servers attract crypto and malware spam from new accounts.

Explicit media filter

Scan media content from all members.

AutoMod rules

• Custom keyword rule with regex patterns for common secret formats — for example AWS access key IDs (AKIA…), GitHub tokens (ghp_…), and private-key headers (-----BEGIN … PRIVATE KEY-----)Block the message with a custom response telling the author to revoke the key, and alert #mod-log.
• Custom keywords: "run this command", "disable your antivirus", fake job offers and crypto-airdrop phrasesBlock and alert.
• Block spam contentBlock and alert.
• Block mention spam (limit around 5)Block and time out for 10 minutes.
• Commonly flagged words: the Insults and Slurs listBlock and alert.

Escalation

1. Reminder with a link to #how-to-ask
2. Message removed (for example leaked secrets or unsafe files)
3. Timeout
4. Kick
5. Ban for malware, scams or harassment

• A blocked secret may still have been seen or copied before a moderator acted, so the owner should always revoke and rotate it, not just delete the message.
• Don't allow executables or obfuscated scripts. Ask people to share code as text or a repository link.
• Webhook URLs let anyone who has them post into your server. Store them like passwords, and only people with Manage Webhooks can create them.

Try Discord's built-in features first. Bot names are examples to evaluate, not endorsements; CordNexa has no affiliation with any bot. Review the permissions a bot requests before adding it.

These steps are specific to this kit. For the reasoning behind each stage — permissions, onboarding, testing and launch — see how to make a Discord server.

1. Create the server and enable Community

   Turn on multi-factor authentication (2FA) for the owner, then enable Community (it requires a verified-email verification level, the explicit media filter set to scan all members, a rules channel and a community updates channel). Community is needed for forum, announcement and Stage channels.

2. Write #how-to-ask

   Show a good question as an example, including a code block made with triple backticks.

3. Create roles top-down

   Owner → Admin → Moderator → Maintainer → Helper → Contributor → Member → language and ping roles.

4. Build the help forum

   Create #help with a tag per language and a Solved tag members can apply themselves, and require a tag on new posts.

5. Add the secrets AutoMod rule

   Create a custom keyword rule with regex patterns for the key formats your community uses, set it to block with a custom message and alert #mod-log, and test it with a fake key.

6. Connect releases

   Create a webhook for #releases, add its GitHub-compatible URL to your repository's webhook settings, and send a test event.

7. Configure Community Onboarding

   Add the questions and default channels. Discord requires at least 7 default channels, with at least 5 where @everyone can view and send messages.

8. Test

   Post a test question as a Member, apply Solved, and confirm the secrets rule blocks a fake key.

1. Ask well: explain what you tried, include the exact error and a minimal example in a code block.
2. Never post API keys, tokens, passwords or private keys. If you do, revoke them immediately.
3. No malware, obfuscated scripts, cracked software or instructions to disable security tools.
4. Be patient with beginners. Explain, don't mock.
5. Code review is about the code: be specific, suggest improvements and respect the kind of feedback asked for.
6. No unsolicited DMs for help or hiring; keep help in public posts where everyone learns.
7. Mark your post Solved when it's answered.

Need stricter or more relaxed wording? Customise these rules in the rules generator.

Welcome to the community! Before asking for help, read #how-to-ask — good questions get fast answers. Post questions in #help with a language tag, share what you're building in #showcase, and find collaborators in #collaborate. Never paste API keys or tokens; if one slips out, revoke it straight away.

Want a shorter, professional or bot-ready version? Try the welcome message generator.

• v1.0 · 2026-09-28
  • First release: tagged help and code-review forums, showcase and collaboration boards, releases via GitHub webhooks, and AutoMod rules for leaked secrets.