# Guides - [Cron jobs for Discord bots](https://hostdc.xyz/guides/cron-jobs-for-discord-bots.md): Schedule restarts and recurring commands for a Discord bot: when to use the platform scheduler, when to use your library's task loop, and the timezone traps. - [Deploy a Discord bot from GitHub](https://hostdc.xyz/guides/deploy-from-github.md): Point HostDC at a GitHub repository, pick a branch and subfolder, and deploy your Discord bot from source instead of uploading a zip every time. - [Environment variables and bot tokens](https://hostdc.xyz/guides/environment-variables-and-tokens.md): How to store a Discord bot token safely, how HostDC encrypts and injects it, and how to use environment variables instead of hardcoding secrets. - [Free Discord bot hosting, explained](https://hostdc.xyz/guides/free-discord-bot-hosting.md): What free Discord bot hosting means, what HostDC gives you on the free plan, and where the limits are. No trial, no credit card. - [How to host a discord.js bot](https://hostdc.xyz/guides/host-discord-js-bot.md): A step-by-step walkthrough for hosting a discord.js bot on HostDC, from package-lock.json to slash commands answering in your server. - [How to host a discord.py bot 24/7](https://hostdc.xyz/guides/host-discord-py-bot-24-7.md): A step-by-step walkthrough for putting a discord.py bot online around the clock on HostDC, from requirements.txt to the first "Logged in as" line. - [HostDC vs your PC, a VPS, Replit and Railway](https://hostdc.xyz/guides/hostdc-vs-alternatives.md): A comparison of where to run a Discord bot: your own machine, a VPS, Replit, Railway, Cybrancee, Wispbyte or HostDC, and which one fits which situation. - [How to keep a Discord bot online](https://hostdc.xyz/guides/keep-a-discord-bot-online.md): Why bots go offline: sleeping laptops, crashes, gateway drops and expired hosting, plus what keeps one running around the clock.