How to Host WhatsApp Bots

Introduction

This guide covers creating and deploying WhatsApp bots on Shard Cloud using the whatsapp-web.js library.

WhatsApp bots work by connecting to WhatsApp Web. Your phone must stay connected to the internet for the bot to work.

Creating Your Bot

Setup

npm init -y
npm install whatsapp-web.js qrcode

Basic Bot Code

index.js

const { Client, LocalAuth } = require('whatsapp-web.js');
const qrcode = require('qrcode');

const client = new Client({
  authStrategy: new LocalAuth(),
  puppeteer: {
    headless: true,
    args: [
      '--no-sandbox',
      '--disable-setuid-sandbox',
    ],
  },
});

client.on('qr', async (qr) => {
  try {
    await qrcode.toFile('./qrcode.png', qr);
    console.log('QR Code saved as qrcode.png');
  } catch (err) {
    console.error('Error generating QR:', err);
  }
});

client.on('ready', () => {
  console.log('WhatsApp client is ready!');
});

client.on('message', async (msg) => {
  if (msg.body === '!ping') {
    await msg.reply('Pong!');
  }
});

client.initialize();

Package.json

package.json

{
  "name": "whatsapp-bot",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "main": "index.js",
  "dependencies": {
    "whatsapp-web.js": "^1.23.0",
    "qrcode": "^1.5.0"
  }
}

Authentication

When you first run the bot, it will generate a QR code (qrcode.png). You need to:

Download the QR code from Shard Cloud’s file manager
Scan it with WhatsApp on your phone (Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device)
Once authenticated, the session is saved and you won’t need to scan again

The LocalAuth strategy saves the session in a .wwebjs_auth folder. This persists between restarts.

Shard Cloud Configuration

.shardcloud

DISPLAY_NAME=WhatsApp Bot
DESCRIPTION=WhatsApp Bot with whatsapp-web.js
MAIN=index.js
MEMORY=1024
VERSION=recommended

WhatsApp bots require more memory due to Puppeteer. Use at least 512MB-1024MB.

Deploying

Prepare Your Files

Ensure you have:

index.js
package.json
.shardcloud

Exclude Unnecessary Files

Remove: node_modules/, package-lock.json

Create ZIP Archive

Compress your project folder.

Upload to Shard Cloud

Go to Shard Cloud Dashboard and upload.

Authenticate

After first start, download the QR code from the file manager and scan with WhatsApp.

Additional Resources

Visit the whatsapp-web.js documentation for more information.

Troubleshooting

QR code not generating

Ensure Puppeteer has enough memory (1024MB+)
Check logs for Chromium errors

Session expires frequently

Ensure your phone stays connected to the internet
Keep the WhatsApp app open on your phone

Chromium errors

Make sure you’re using the --no-sandbox and --disable-setuid-sandbox flags.

Introduction

Platform Features

Bot Platforms

API Frameworks

Website Frameworks

How to Host WhatsApp Bots

Introduction

Creating Your Bot

Setup

Basic Bot Code

Package.json

Authentication

Shard Cloud Configuration

Deploying

Additional Resources

Troubleshooting

​Introduction

​Creating Your Bot

​Setup

​Basic Bot Code

​Package.json

​Authentication

​Shard Cloud Configuration

​Deploying

​Additional Resources

​Troubleshooting

Introduction

Creating Your Bot

Setup

Basic Bot Code

Package.json

Authentication

Shard Cloud Configuration

Deploying

Additional Resources

Troubleshooting