How to Deploy a WhatsApp Bot on RepublicNodes

Got a WhatsApp Bot Hosting plan? Here's the full deployment process, including the one step WhatsApp bots need that most other bots don't: scanning a QR code to authenticate.

What You're Working With

Our WhatsApp plans run on a generic Node.js environment — the right fit, since the standard WhatsApp automation libraries (whatsapp-web.js, Baileys) are both Node-based. See our library comparison if you haven't picked one yet.

Getting Your Code On

Upload directly: zip your project, upload via the File Manager, extract into the root directory.

Or pull from Git: set Git Repo Address (and Git Branch, Git Username/Git Access Token for a private repo) on the Startup tab, and turn on Auto Update if you want fresh code pulled on every restart.

Dependencies

Have a package.json in your project root — on every startup, npm install runs against it automatically. Need to add a package without touching package.json directly, or remove one? Use the Additional Node packages / Uninstall Node packages startup variables.

Telling It What to Run

Set the Main file variable to your entry point (default index.js). If your bot needs command-line flags, add them under Additional Arguments.

The WhatsApp-Specific Step: QR Authentication

Unlike a Telegram or Discord bot (which just needs a token), whatsapp-web.js and Baileys both authenticate by scanning a QR code with the WhatsApp account you want the bot to use — this is how WhatsApp's own multi-device system works, not something specific to our hosting.

1. Start your bot from the Console tab.
2. Your library will print a QR code as text/ASCII art directly in the console output.
3. Open WhatsApp on the phone you want linked → Settings → Linked Devices → Link a Device, and scan the code shown in the console.
4. Once scanned, your library saves a session to disk (usually a folder like .wwebjs_auth or auth_info depending on the library) so it doesn't ask you to re-scan on every restart.

Don't Lose Your Session

That session folder is precious — losing it means re-scanning the QR code and re-linking the device. Make sure it's not excluded if you ever wipe/reinstall, and consider it worth including in a manual backup before any risky change.

Common First-Run Issues

• QR code keeps regenerating / never confirms: usually a timing issue — scan it quickly once it appears rather than leaving the console open a long time first.
• "Session closed" or forced logout after a while: WhatsApp occasionally invalidates sessions, especially after being linked on too many devices at once, or an unofficial-library flag from excessive automation — see our troubleshooting guide for the full rundown.
• Puppeteer/Chromium errors (whatsapp-web.js specifically runs a real headless browser under the hood): make sure your plan has enough RAM — a headless Chromium instance is noticeably heavier than a plain Node script, which is part of why our WhatsApp tiers aren't sized identically to the lightest Discord tier.

Once authenticated and stable, see our 24/7 uptime guide for handling crashes and restarts gracefully.