Deploy a Bluesky Bot

Deploying a Bluesky Bot

Bots are automated accounts on Bluesky that can post content on a regular schedule. This guide will walk you through setting up a simple bot that posts inspirational quotes using a cron job, hosted on a Digital Ocean droplet.

Code found here: https://github.com/AngelLozan/BlueSkyBot

Getting Started

Install TypeScript and Node.js

First, install TypeScript and Node.js globally on your machine:

npm i -g typescript
npm i -g ts-node

Set Up Environment Variables

Save your Bluesky bot’s username and password in a .env file:

BLUESKY_USERNAME=your_username
BLUESKY_PASSWORD=your_password

Creating the Bot Script

The following TypeScript script logs in to Bluesky and posts an inspirational quote every three hours.

import { AtpAgent } from '@atproto/api';
import * as dotenv from 'dotenv';
import * as process from 'process';

dotenv.config();

const agent = new AtpAgent({
    service: process.env.SERVICE!,
  })


export const main = async () => {
    console.log("Starting to post...")
    await agent.login({ identifier: process.env.BLUESKY_USERNAME!, password: process.env.BLUESKY_PASSWORD!})

    const inspiration = await quote();
    await agent.post({
        text: inspiration,
        visibility: 'public',
    });
    console.log(inspiration);
}

async function quote(){
    let req = await fetch('https://zenquotes.io/api/random');
    let data = await req.json();
    let quote = data[0].q;
    let author = data[0].a;
    console.log(quote);
    console.log(author);
    const bannedAuthors = ['Christopher Columbus', 'Elon Musk', 'Ronald Reagan', 'Theodore Roosevelt', 'Walt Disney', 'William Faulkner', 'Winston Churchill', 'Benjamin Franklin', 'Ayn Rand'];
    if(bannedAuthors.includes(author)){
        return await quote();
    }
    return `${quote} - ${author}`;
}

main();

Deploying Your Bot on Digital Ocean

To host your bot on a Digital Ocean droplet, follow these steps:

1. Set up a Droplet: Create a new Ubuntu-based Droplet on Digital Ocean.
2. Install Node.js and npm:

   sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y nodejs npm
   

3. Clone Your Bot Repository:

   git clone your-repo-url.git && cd your-repo-folder
   

4. Install Dependencies:

   npm install
   

5. Set Up a Cron Job: Edit the crontab to run your bot every three hours.

   crontab -e
   

   Add the following line at the end:

   0 */3 * * * cd /path/to/your-bot && ts-node bot.ts
   

6. Ensure Your Bot is Running:

   pm2 start bot.ts --name bluesky-bot
   

Troubleshooting Your Droplet

If your bot stops working, check the logs:

docker logs caddy --tail=50 --follow
docker logs watchtower --tail=50 --follow

You can also inspect the health status of your service:

curl https://angellozan.live/xrpc/_health

If your bot isn’t running, check if another service is using ports 80 or 443:

sudo ss -tulnp | grep :80

If Apache is interfering, stop it:

sudo systemctl stop apache2
sudo systemctl disable apache2
sudo systemctl mask apache2

Then restart your bot service:

systemctl restart pds.service

Best Practices for Bluesky Bots

• Respect rate limits: Avoid excessive posting.
• Ensure opt-in interactions: Only reply, like, or repost if a user explicitly interacts with your bot.
• Monitor performance: Regularly check logs and uptime status.

Follow the Bot!

Check out the inspirational bot in action: inspiration.angellozan.live

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This guide provides a simple way to deploy a Bluesky bot. You can customize it further by adding API integrations, more complex scheduling, or different types of content. Happy coding!