Introduction
This guide covers creating and deploying Slack bots on Shard Cloud.
Creating a Slack App
Choose Creation Method
Select “From scratch”, name your app, and select your workspace.
Get Credentials
In “Basic Information”, note your Signing Secret. In “OAuth &
Permissions”, add scopes like chat:write, app_mentions:read,
commands.
Install to Workspace
Click “Install to Workspace” and copy the Bot Token (starts with
xoxb-).
Security: Never expose your Signing Secret or Bot Token publicly.
Creating Your Bot
Node.js (@slack/bolt)
Python (slack_bolt)
Setup
npm init -y
npm install @slack/bolt
Basic Bot Code
const { App } = require('@slack/bolt');
const app = new App({
signingSecret: process.env.SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET,
token: process.env.SLACK_BOT_TOKEN,
});
// Respond to mentions
app.event('app_mention', async ({ event, say }) => {
await say(`<@${event.user}> Thanks for mentioning me!`);
});
// Slash command
app.command('/ping', async ({ ack, respond }) => {
await ack();
await respond('Pong!');
});
(async () => {
await app.start(process.env.PORT || 80);
console.log('⚡️ Slack bot is running!');
})();
Package.json
{
"name": "slack-bot",
"version": "1.0.0",
"main": "index.js",
"dependencies": {
"@slack/bolt": "^3.0.0"
}
}
Setup
Basic Bot Code
import os
from slack_bolt import App
app = App(
signing_secret=os.environ.get('SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET'),
token=os.environ.get('SLACK_BOT_TOKEN')
)
@app.event('app_mention')
def handle_mention(event, say):
user = event.get('user')
say(f'<@{user}> Thanks for mentioning me!')
@app.command('/ping')
def ping_command(ack, respond):
ack()
respond('Pong!')
if __name__ == '__main__':
app.start(port=int(os.environ.get('PORT', 80)))
Requirements.txt
Environment Variables
Set these in the Shard Cloud dashboard:
SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET: Your app’s signing secretSLACK_BOT_TOKEN: Your bot’s OAuth token
Shard Cloud Configuration
DISPLAY_NAME=Slack Bot
DESCRIPTION=My Slack Bot
MAIN=index.js
MEMORY=512
VERSION=recommended
SUBDOMAIN=my-slack-bot
The SUBDOMAIN is required for Slack to send events to your bot via webhooks.
Configuring Slack Events
After deployment, configure your Request URLs in Slack:
- Event Subscriptions: Enable and set URL to
https://my-slack-bot.shardweb.app/slack/events
- Slash Commands: Set URL to
https://my-slack-bot.shardweb.app/slack/events
Deploying
Prepare Your Files
Ensure you have: - Your bot code file - package.json or requirements.txt Set Environment Variables
Configure SLACK_SIGNING_SECRET and SLACK_BOT_TOKEN in the dashboard.
Create ZIP Archive
Compress your project folder (excluding node_modules/).
Configure Slack URLs
Update Event Subscriptions and Slash Command URLs in your Slack app
settings.
Additional Resources
Troubleshooting
- Verify your Request URL is correct - Ensure your app is running and
accessible - Check that the signing secret matches
Make sure your bot is running before verifying the URL in Slack.
