Inspiration
It started as a personal project idea to create our own Discord bot that is open-source and not monetized, so that we can play Youtube music videos on the server, unlike many of the bots that have been shut down by Google due to monetization.
What it does
When the user passes the command "$play " followed by a Youtube link,
How we built it
We used discord.py Python wrapper package for Discord application development. For the database, we used a MySQL instance hosted in the Google Cloud. For now, the Python module is run locally, but by design, it will be compatible for deployment to Kubernetes and subsequently a remote host like Google Cloud.
Challenges we ran into
Since discord.py is developed independently from the core Discord development environment, some of the functions did not work for the latest version of Discord and we had to adjust functionalities accordingly. Also, it was our first time using Google Cloud, and correctly setting the credentials and security was one of the biggest choke points for our development.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
This was our first time developing a Discord bot and using a database hosted in Google Cloud. Though both environments were similar to conventional API development on an on-site server, we were first self-learning many of the functions because they had their own differences as well. However, from this experience, we were able to expand our tech stack and are more confident to develop in both Discord and Google Cloud as well as other platforms where may adjust and learn quickly.
What we learned
We primarily learned new skills to develop Discord bots as well as perform CRUD functions on a database instance hosted on Google Cloud. However, more importantly, we learned that the crux of software development is the same - we save and use the data that is processed and presented to the consumer in a useful manner. And with that goal in mind, we learned that no matter the platform, we can adjust and learn the new concepts to fulfill this goal.
What's next for Sharur
The next step of Sharur would be adding more functionalities and user-friendly documentation so that the Discord bot is powerful, yet easy to use, in the server and can be more of a useful tool than a hassle to learn. Also, since it has had containerization in mind, future versions of Sharur will be deployed using Kubernetes and hosted by a remote server like Google Cloud.
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