Skip to content
Discord Platform Atlas

Choose an integration model

Status Stable · Last verified 2026-07-11 · API v10 · Sources Interactions overview, Webhook resource

Picking the wrong model is the most expensive early mistake. This page picks for you.

The 30-second decision

Section titled “The 30-second decision”
Do you only need to PUSH messages INTO a channel (notifications, alerts, logs)?
│
├─ YES ─────────────────────────────► Incoming Webhook.        (simplest)
│
└─ NO — users will invoke your app, or you need to READ/REACT to events.
    │
    Will users invoke it with slash/context-menu commands, buttons, or modals?
    │
    ├─ YES, and I don't want to run a socket ─► App + Interaction HTTP endpoint.
    │
    ├─ YES, and I also need live events ──────► App + Bot (gateway) + interactions.
    │
    └─ NO — I need to observe events continuously (messages, joins, voice) ─►
                                                 App + Bot on the Gateway.


Separately:
• Acting on behalf of a *user* (their identity, their guilds)? ─► OAuth2.
• A rich UI running *inside* the Discord client? ──────────────► Activity (Embedded App SDK).

The comparison table

Section titled “The comparison table”
Incoming Webhook Bot (Gateway) App + Interaction endpoint Activity OAuth2 (user)
Primary use Push messages to one channel Observe + act on events in real time Respond to commands/components over HTTP Embedded in-client app/game Act as / read data for a user
Needs a bot token No Yes No (uses Public Key) Depends No (uses OAuth tokens)
Needs a running socket No Yes (persistent WS) No (Discord calls you) Yes (RPC) No
Needs a public HTTPS URL No No Yes Yes (hosted iframe) Redirect URI only
Can read messages/events No Yes (with intents) Only the interactions sent to it Via SDK Only via granted scopes
Auth mechanism Secret URL Bot token Ed25519 signature verify OAuth2 + SDK OAuth2 authorization code
Setup effort Minutes Medium Medium High Medium
Hosting cost None Always-on process Serverless-friendly Hosted web app Redirect handler
Best when Alerts, CI, logs, cron Moderation, live features, presence Command bots without a socket Games, watch-together, tools “Login with Discord”, user data

Model-by-model notes

Section titled “Model-by-model notes”

Incoming webhook — the “post-only” shortcut

Section titled “Incoming webhook — the “post-only” shortcut”

A webhook is a URL bound to one channel. POST JSON and a message appears. No identity, no intents, no gateway. It cannot read anything or respond to interactions. Great for notifications; wrong for anything interactive. → Webhooks

Bot on the gateway — eyes and ears

Section titled “Bot on the gateway — eyes and ears”

A bot connects over a WebSocket and receives a filtered stream of events (intents). Use it when you must observe continuously — moderation, welcome messages, voice state, reactions. Requires an always-on process and careful intent hygiene. Bots also use REST to act. → Gateway

App + interaction HTTP endpoint — commands without a socket

Section titled “App + interaction HTTP endpoint — commands without a socket”

Register an Interactions Endpoint URL; Discord POSTs interactions to it and you reply in the HTTP response. No persistent connection, so it runs beautifully on serverless (Workers, Lambda, Vercel). The catch: you must verify every request’s Ed25519 signature against your app’s Public Key — Discord actively probes with invalid signatures and disables endpoints that accept them. → Interactions · example: interaction-endpoint

You can also receive interactions over the gateway instead of an endpoint. Choose the endpoint for serverless/stateless; choose the gateway if you already maintain a socket for events.

Activity — an app inside Discord

Section titled “Activity — an app inside Discord”

Activities are web apps embedded in the Discord client via the Embedded App SDK, communicating over RPC and (optionally) voice. Highest effort, richest UX — games, collaborative tools, watch-together. Tracked in the platform map.

OAuth2 — acting for a user

Section titled “OAuth2 — acting for a user”

OAuth2 is orthogonal to the above: it’s how a user authorizes your app and how your app is installed. It powers “Add to Server”, “Login with Discord”, and the newer user-install context (your app’s commands follow the user across servers and DMs). → OAuth2 & Installation

Common combinations

Section titled “Common combinations”
  • Notification service → webhook only.
  • Moderation bot → app + bot (gateway) + slash commands (over gateway).
  • Utility slash-command bot, cheap to host → app + interaction endpoint (serverless), optionally user-installed so it works everywhere.
  • “Login with Discord” web app → OAuth2 authorization-code flow, no bot.
  • Game night app → Activity (Embedded App SDK) + an app for install.

Next

Section titled “Next”