Deploying Java & JDA Bots on VisiHost

01Compiling a Shaded/Fat Jar

To host a Java bot on a Pterodactyl container, you must compile your project into a single executable **Fat Jar** containing all dependencies.

plugins {
    id 'com.github.johnrengelman.shadow' version '8.1.1'
    id 'java'
}

dependencies {
    implementation 'net.dv8tion:JDA:5.0.0-beta.20'
}

shadowJar {
    archiveBaseName.set('my-jda-bot')
    archiveClassifier.set('')
    archiveVersion.set('')
}

Run the command ./gradlew shadowJar or mvn package to generate your executable jar.

02Uploading Your Jar File

Upload the compiled my-jda-bot.jar directly to your Pterodactyl server root via SFTP or the web file manager.

03Configuring Startup Variables & Heap size

Java requires specific JVM heap limits configured so the kernel doesn't terminate the process if it goes over container memory limits.

java -Xms512M -Xmx1536M -XX:+UseG1GC -jar my-jda-bot.jar

Set the **Server Jar File** startup variable to my-jda-bot.jar, and set custom JVM flags in the panel settings tab. Memory requirements are highly code-dependent. Your actual allocation needs will vary based on command cache size, external libraries (e.g. databases, lavalink), and active shard counts. Always monitor your container's memory metrics in the console to scale your plan or adjust JVM flags appropriately.