Build a Slack Bot to Automate Team Notifications in 30 Minutes
Your sales team wants instant Slack notifications when high-value leads sign up. Your ops team needs alerts when server CPU exceeds 80%. Your project managers want daily standup reminders posted automatically.
Right now, someone manually checks systems and posts updates. Or notifications go to email where they're ignored. Critical issues get missed because nobody's watching dashboards 24/7.
A Slack bot solves this by:
- Monitoring systems continuously
- Sending targeted notifications to specific channels
- Responding to team queries automatically
- Integrating all your tools into one communication hub
I'll show you how to build a production-ready Slack bot in Python that handles real-world use cases: system monitoring, lead notifications, and automated daily reports. No prior bot experience needed.
By the end of this guide, you'll have a working bot posting messages to your Slack workspace.
What You'll Build
We'll create three types of Slack bots, progressing from simple to advanced:
Bot 1: Simple Notification Bot
- Posts predefined messages to Slack channels
- Use case: Daily standup reminders, system alerts
Bot 2: Monitoring Bot
- Checks system metrics (CPU, disk, API responses)
- Sends alerts when thresholds are exceeded
- Use case: Server monitoring, website uptime checks
Bot 3: Interactive Bot
- Responds to slash commands
- Processes user queries
- Use case: Look up customer data, trigger workflows
All three use the same Slack API foundations - you'll learn the concepts once and apply them to any use case.
Prerequisites and Setup
Requirements
- Python 3.8 or higher
- Slack workspace where you have admin access (or can request bot installation)
- 30 minutes
Install Required Packages
1pip install slack-sdk python-dotenv requests psutil
Package purposes:
slack-sdk: Official Slack API clientpython-dotenv: Manage API credentials securelyrequests: Make HTTP requests for monitoringpsutil: Get system metrics (CPU, memory, disk)
Create a Slack App
-
Click "Create New App" ā "From scratch"
-
Name: "Team Notifications Bot"
-
Select your workspace
-
Set Permissions (OAuth & Permissions section):
- Add these Bot Token Scopes:
chat:write(post messages)chat:write.public(post to channels bot isn't in)channels:read(list channels)commands(slash commands)
- Add these Bot Token Scopes:
-
Install App to your workspace:
- Click "Install to Workspace"
- Authorize the permissions
- Copy the "Bot User OAuth Token" (starts with
xoxb-)
-
Store credentials in
.envfile:
1SLACK_BOT_TOKEN=xoxb-your-token-here2SLACK_CHANNEL_ID=C01234567 # Get this from channel details
Find channel ID: Right-click any channel ā View channel details ā Copy ID from bottom
Test Connection
Quick test to verify setup:
1from slack_sdk import WebClient2import os3from dotenv import load_dotenv45load_dotenv()67client = WebClient(token=os.getenv('SLACK_BOT_TOKEN'))89response = client.chat_postMessage(10 channel=os.getenv('SLACK_CHANNEL_ID'),11 text="Hello from Python! Bot is online. š¤"12)1314print(f"Message sent: {response['ts']}")
Run this script. If you see a message in your Slack channel, you're ready to build.
Bot 1: Simple Notification Bot
Let's start with the most common use case: sending automated notifications.
Example: Daily Standup Reminder
Post a reminder at 9:00 AM every weekday.
1import os2from slack_sdk import WebClient3from slack_sdk.errors import SlackApiError4from dotenv import load_dotenv5import schedule6import time7from datetime import datetime89# Load environment variables10load_dotenv()1112# Initialize Slack client13client = WebClient(token=os.getenv('SLACK_BOT_TOKEN'))14channel_id = os.getenv('SLACK_CHANNEL_ID')1516def post_standup_reminder():17 """Post daily standup reminder to Slack channel"""18 try:19 # Create message with formatting20 message = {21 "channel": channel_id,22 "blocks": [23 {24 "type": "header",25 "text": {26 "type": "plain_text",27 "text": "ā° Daily Standup Reminder",28 "emoji": True29 }30 },31 {32 "type": "section",33 "text": {34 "type": "mrkdwn",35 "text": "*Time for daily standup!*\n\nPlease share:\n⢠What you completed yesterday\n⢠What you're working on today\n⢠Any blockers"36 }37 },38 {39 "type": "divider"40 },41 {42 "type": "context",43 "elements": [44 {45 "type": "mrkdwn",46 "text": f"Sent: {datetime.now().strftime('%I:%M %p')}"47 }48 ]49 }50 ]51 }5253 # Send message54 response = client.chat_postMessage(**message)55 print(f"ā Standup reminder sent at {datetime.now()}")5657 except SlackApiError as e:58 print(f"ā Error sending message: {e.response['error']}")5960def run_bot():61 """Schedule and run the bot"""62 # Schedule reminder for 9:00 AM on weekdays63 schedule.every().monday.at("09:00").do(post_standup_reminder)64 schedule.every().tuesday.at("09:00").do(post_standup_reminder)65 schedule.every().wednesday.at("09:00").do(post_standup_reminder)66 schedule.every().thursday.at("09:00").do(post_standup_reminder)67 schedule.every().friday.at("09:00").do(post_standup_reminder)6869 print("š¤ Standup reminder bot is running...")70 print("Scheduled for: Mon-Fri at 9:00 AM")7172 # Keep the bot running73 while True:74 schedule.run_pending()75 time.sleep(60) # Check every minute7677if __name__ == "__main__":78 # For testing, send immediately79 post_standup_reminder()8081 # Uncomment to run on schedule:82 # run_bot()
Key concepts:
- Block Kit messages: Slack's modern message format with rich layouts
- Scheduling: Use
schedulelibrary for time-based triggers - Error handling: Catch Slack API errors gracefully
To run 24/7:
- Deploy on a server or cloud platform (AWS, Heroku, DigitalOcean)
- Use systemd, supervisord, or Docker to keep it running
- Set up monitoring to restart if it crashes
Rich Message Formatting
Slack supports interactive elements:
1def post_weekly_report():2 """Post weekly report with action buttons"""3 message = {4 "channel": channel_id,5 "text": "Weekly Report Available", # Fallback for notifications6 "blocks": [7 {8 "type": "section",9 "text": {10 "type": "mrkdwn",11 "text": "*š Weekly Report - Jan 28, 2026*\n\nYour weekly metrics summary is ready for review."12 }13 },14 {15 "type": "section",16 "fields": [17 {18 "type": "mrkdwn",19 "text": "*Sales:*\n$45,230"20 },21 {22 "type": "mrkdwn",23 "text": "*New Leads:*\n127"24 },25 {26 "type": "mrkdwn",27 "text": "*Support Tickets:*\n34"28 },29 {30 "type": "mrkdwn",31 "text": "*Customer Satisfaction:*\n4.7/5.0"32 }33 ]34 },35 {36 "type": "actions",37 "elements": [38 {39 "type": "button",40 "text": {41 "type": "plain_text",42 "text": "View Full Report"43 },44 "url": "https://dashboard.company.com/reports/weekly",45 "style": "primary"46 },47 {48 "type": "button",49 "text": {50 "type": "plain_text",51 "text": "Download PDF"52 },53 "url": "https://dashboard.company.com/reports/weekly.pdf"54 }55 ]56 }57 ]58 }5960 client.chat_postMessage(**message)
This creates a professional report with clickable buttons.
Bot 2: System Monitoring Bot
Monitor systems and send alerts when issues are detected.
Example: Server Monitoring Bot
1import psutil2import requests3from slack_sdk import WebClient4import os5from dotenv import load_dotenv6import time78load_dotenv()910client = WebClient(token=os.getenv('SLACK_BOT_TOKEN'))11channel_id = os.getenv('SLACK_ALERT_CHANNEL') # Use dedicated alerts channel1213# Configuration14CPU_THRESHOLD = 80 # Alert if CPU > 80%15MEMORY_THRESHOLD = 85 # Alert if memory > 85%16DISK_THRESHOLD = 90 # Alert if disk > 90%17CHECK_INTERVAL = 60 # Check every 60 seconds1819def check_system_health():20 """Check system metrics and return issues"""21 issues = []2223 # Check CPU usage24 cpu_percent = psutil.cpu_percent(interval=1)25 if cpu_percent > CPU_THRESHOLD:26 issues.append({27 "metric": "CPU Usage",28 "value": f"{cpu_percent}%",29 "threshold": f"{CPU_THRESHOLD}%",30 "severity": "warning" if cpu_percent < 90 else "critical"31 })3233 # Check memory usage34 memory = psutil.virtual_memory()35 if memory.percent > MEMORY_THRESHOLD:36 issues.append({37 "metric": "Memory Usage",38 "value": f"{memory.percent}%",39 "threshold": f"{MEMORY_THRESHOLD}%",40 "severity": "warning" if memory.percent < 95 else "critical"41 })4243 # Check disk usage44 disk = psutil.disk_usage('/')45 if disk.percent > DISK_THRESHOLD:46 issues.append({47 "metric": "Disk Usage",48 "value": f"{disk.percent}%",49 "threshold": f"{DISK_THRESHOLD}%",50 "severity": "critical"51 })5253 return issues5455def check_website_uptime(url):56 """Check if website is responding"""57 try:58 response = requests.get(url, timeout=10)59 if response.status_code == 200:60 return True, response.elapsed.total_seconds()61 else:62 return False, f"HTTP {response.status_code}"63 except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:64 return False, str(e)6566def send_alert(issues):67 """Send alert to Slack with issue details"""68 # Determine overall severity69 has_critical = any(issue['severity'] == 'critical' for issue in issues)70 severity_emoji = "šØ" if has_critical else "ā ļø"71 severity_text = "CRITICAL" if has_critical else "WARNING"7273 # Build message blocks74 blocks = [75 {76 "type": "header",77 "text": {78 "type": "plain_text",79 "text": f"{severity_emoji} System Alert: {severity_text}"80 }81 }82 ]8384 # Add each issue85 for issue in issues:86 blocks.append({87 "type": "section",88 "fields": [89 {90 "type": "mrkdwn",91 "text": f"*Metric:*\n{issue['metric']}"92 },93 {94 "type": "mrkdwn",95 "text": f"*Current:*\n{issue['value']}"96 },97 {98 "type": "mrkdwn",99 "text": f"*Threshold:*\n{issue['threshold']}"100 },101 {102 "type": "mrkdwn",103 "text": f"*Severity:*\n{issue['severity'].upper()}"104 }105 ]106 })107 blocks.append({"type": "divider"})108109 # Add timestamp110 blocks.append({111 "type": "context",112 "elements": [113 {114 "type": "mrkdwn",115 "text": f"Detected at {datetime.now().strftime('%Y-%m-%d %I:%M:%S %p')}"116 }117 ]118 })119120 # Send alert121 client.chat_postMessage(122 channel=channel_id,123 text=f"System Alert: {severity_text}", # Fallback124 blocks=blocks125 )126127 print(f"šØ Alert sent: {len(issues)} issues detected")128129def send_recovery_notification(metric):130 """Send recovery notification when issue is resolved"""131 client.chat_postMessage(132 channel=channel_id,133 text=f"ā Recovered: {metric} has returned to normal levels"134 )135136def monitor_loop():137 """Main monitoring loop"""138 print("š¤ Monitoring bot started...")139 print(f"Checking every {CHECK_INTERVAL} seconds")140141 alert_active = {} # Track active alerts to avoid spam142143 while True:144 # Check system health145 issues = check_system_health()146147 # Check website uptime148 website_up, response_data = check_website_uptime("https://yourwebsite.com")149 if not website_up:150 issues.append({151 "metric": "Website Status",152 "value": "DOWN",153 "threshold": "UP",154 "severity": "critical"155 })156157 # Send alerts for new issues158 if issues:159 new_issues = [i for i in issues if i['metric'] not in alert_active]160 if new_issues:161 send_alert(new_issues)162 for issue in new_issues:163 alert_active[issue['metric']] = True164165 # Check for recovered issues166 current_metrics = {issue['metric'] for issue in issues}167 for metric in list(alert_active.keys()):168 if metric not in current_metrics:169 send_recovery_notification(metric)170 del alert_active[metric]171172 # Wait before next check173 time.sleep(CHECK_INTERVAL)174175if __name__ == "__main__":176 monitor_loop()
Key features:
- Threshold-based alerting: Only notify when metrics exceed limits
- Severity levels: Distinguish warnings from critical issues
- Recovery notifications: Alert when issues are resolved
- Deduplication: Track active alerts to avoid spam
Real-world enhancements:
- Add database monitoring (connection pool, query performance)
- Monitor API endpoints (response time, error rates)
- Check background job queues
- Integrate with monitoring services (Datadog, New Relic)
Example: Sales Lead Notification Bot
Alert sales team instantly when high-value leads sign up.
1import psycopg2 # For PostgreSQL database2from slack_sdk import WebClient3import os4import time56client = WebClient(token=os.getenv('SLACK_BOT_TOKEN'))7sales_channel = "C01234567" # Your sales channel ID89def check_new_leads():10 """Check database for new high-value leads"""11 conn = psycopg2.connect(12 host="localhost",13 database="crm",14 user="app",15 password=os.getenv('DB_PASSWORD')16 )1718 cursor = conn.cursor()1920 # Query for leads created in last 5 minutes with high value indicators21 query = """22 SELECT id, company_name, contact_name, email,23 company_size, estimated_value, source24 FROM leads25 WHERE created_at > NOW() - INTERVAL '5 minutes'26 AND (company_size > 100 OR estimated_value > 50000)27 ORDER BY created_at DESC28 """2930 cursor.execute(query)31 leads = cursor.fetchall()3233 cursor.close()34 conn.close()3536 return leads3738def notify_sales_team(lead):39 """Send formatted lead notification to sales channel"""40 lead_id, company, contact, email, size, value, source = lead4142 message = {43 "channel": sales_channel,44 "text": f"New high-value lead: {company}",45 "blocks": [46 {47 "type": "header",48 "text": {49 "type": "plain_text",50 "text": f"šÆ New High-Value Lead: {company}"51 }52 },53 {54 "type": "section",55 "fields": [56 {57 "type": "mrkdwn",58 "text": f"*Contact:*\n{contact}"59 },60 {61 "type": "mrkdwn",62 "text": f"*Email:*\n{email}"63 },64 {65 "type": "mrkdwn",66 "text": f"*Company Size:*\n{size} employees"67 },68 {69 "type": "mrkdwn",70 "text": f"*Est. Value:*\n${value:,}"71 },72 {73 "type": "mrkdwn",74 "text": f"*Source:*\n{source}"75 }76 ]77 },78 {79 "type": "actions",80 "elements": [81 {82 "type": "button",83 "text": {84 "type": "plain_text",85 "text": "View in CRM"86 },87 "url": f"https://crm.company.com/leads/{lead_id}",88 "style": "primary"89 },90 {91 "type": "button",92 "text": {93 "type": "plain_text",94 "text": "Claim Lead"95 },96 "value": f"claim_{lead_id}",97 "action_id": "claim_lead"98 }99 ]100 }101 ]102 }103104 client.chat_postMessage(**message)105 print(f"ā Notified team about lead: {company}")106107def lead_monitoring_loop():108 """Continuously monitor for new leads"""109 print("š¤ Lead monitoring bot started...")110111 notified_leads = set() # Track already-notified leads112113 while True:114 leads = check_new_leads()115116 for lead in leads:117 lead_id = lead[0]118 if lead_id not in notified_leads:119 notify_sales_team(lead)120 notified_leads.add(lead_id)121122 # Check every 5 minutes123 time.sleep(300)124125if __name__ == "__main__":126 lead_monitoring_loop()
This bot:
- Monitors your database for new leads
- Filters for high-value opportunities (large companies or high estimated value)
- Sends rich notifications with all relevant details
- Provides quick links to CRM and claim button
- Prevents duplicate notifications
Bot 3: Interactive Bot with Slash Commands
Build a bot that responds to team queries.
Example: Customer Lookup Bot
Team members use /customer <email> to instantly look up customer information.
Step 1: Configure slash command in Slack app
- Go to your app settings at api.slack.com/apps
- Features ā Slash Commands ā Create New Command
- Command:
/customer - Request URL:
https://your-server.com/slack/commands(we'll create this) - Description: "Look up customer information"
- Usage hint:
customer@email.com
Step 2: Create Flask server to handle commands
1from flask import Flask, request, jsonify2from slack_sdk import WebClient3import os4from dotenv import load_dotenv5import json67load_dotenv()89app = Flask(__name__)10client = WebClient(token=os.getenv('SLACK_BOT_TOKEN'))1112def lookup_customer(email):13 """Query database for customer information"""14 # This would query your actual database15 # Simplified example:16 customers = {17 "john@acme.com": {18 "name": "John Smith",19 "company": "Acme Corp",20 "plan": "Enterprise",21 "mrr": 5000,22 "signup_date": "2025-06-15",23 "status": "active"24 },25 "sarah@techco.com": {26 "name": "Sarah Johnson",27 "company": "TechCo",28 "plan": "Professional",29 "mrr": 500,30 "signup_date": "2025-11-20",31 "status": "active"32 }33 }3435 return customers.get(email.lower())3637@app.route('/slack/commands', methods=['POST'])38def handle_command():39 """Handle incoming slash commands from Slack"""40 # Parse command data41 data = request.form42 command = data.get('command')43 text = data.get('text').strip()44 user_id = data.get('user_id')45 channel_id = data.get('channel_id')46 response_url = data.get('response_url')4748 # Validate command49 if command != '/customer':50 return jsonify({51 "response_type": "ephemeral",52 "text": "Unknown command"53 })5455 # Validate input56 if not text or '@' not in text:57 return jsonify({58 "response_type": "ephemeral",59 "text": "Please provide a customer email address.\nUsage: `/customer customer@email.com`"60 })6162 # Look up customer63 customer = lookup_customer(text)6465 if not customer:66 return jsonify({67 "response_type": "ephemeral",68 "text": f"ā No customer found with email: {text}"69 })7071 # Build response72 response = {73 "response_type": "in_channel", # Visible to everyone74 "blocks": [75 {76 "type": "header",77 "text": {78 "type": "plain_text",79 "text": f"š¤ Customer: {customer['name']}"80 }81 },82 {83 "type": "section",84 "fields": [85 {86 "type": "mrkdwn",87 "text": f"*Company:*\n{customer['company']}"88 },89 {90 "type": "mrkdwn",91 "text": f"*Plan:*\n{customer['plan']}"92 },93 {94 "type": "mrkdwn",95 "text": f"*MRR:*\n${customer['mrr']:,}/month"96 },97 {98 "type": "mrkdwn",99 "text": f"*Status:*\n{customer['status'].upper()}"100 },101 {102 "type": "mrkdwn",103 "text": f"*Customer Since:*\n{customer['signup_date']}"104 }105 ]106 },107 {108 "type": "context",109 "elements": [110 {111 "type": "mrkdwn",112 "text": f"Requested by <@{user_id}>"113 }114 ]115 }116 ]117 }118119 return jsonify(response)120121if __name__ == '__main__':122 # For production, use gunicorn or similar WSGI server123 app.run(port=5000, debug=True)
Step 3: Deploy and configure
- Deploy Flask app to server with public URL (Heroku, AWS, DigitalOcean)
- Use HTTPS (required by Slack)
- Update slash command Request URL in Slack app settings
- Test with
/customer john@acme.comin Slack
Key concepts:
- Ephemeral vs public responses: Ephemeral only visible to user who ran command, public visible to channel
- Response URL: For delayed responses (>3 seconds)
- Interactive components: Add buttons for follow-up actions
Advanced: Interactive Buttons
Add buttons to trigger actions:
1@app.route('/slack/actions', methods=['POST'])2def handle_actions():3 """Handle button clicks and interactions"""4 # Parse the interaction payload5 payload = json.loads(request.form['payload'])6 action = payload['actions'][0]7 user = payload['user']89 if action['action_id'] == 'claim_lead':10 lead_id = action['value'].split('_')[1]1112 # Update database to assign lead to user13 assign_lead_to_user(lead_id, user['id'])1415 # Update the message16 return jsonify({17 "replace_original": True,18 "text": f"ā Lead claimed by <@{user['id']}>"19 })2021 return jsonify({"text": "Action processed"})2223def assign_lead_to_user(lead_id, user_id):24 """Assign lead in database"""25 # Database update logic here26 pass
Configure in Slack app settings:
- Interactivity & Shortcuts ā Request URL ā
https://your-server.com/slack/actions
Deployment and Production Tips
Option 1: Run on Server
Using systemd (Linux):
Create /etc/systemd/system/slack-bot.service:
1[Unit]2Description=Slack Monitoring Bot3After=network.target45[Service]6Type=simple7User=appuser8WorkingDirectory=/opt/slack-bot9Environment="PATH=/opt/slack-bot/venv/bin"10ExecStart=/opt/slack-bot/venv/bin/python bot.py11Restart=always1213[Install]14WantedBy=multi-user.target
Enable and start:
1sudo systemctl enable slack-bot2sudo systemctl start slack-bot3sudo systemctl status slack-bot
Option 2: Docker Container
Dockerfile:
1FROM python:3.10-slim23WORKDIR /app45COPY requirements.txt .6RUN pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt78COPY . .910CMD ["python", "bot.py"]
Build and run:
1docker build -t slack-bot .2docker run -d --name slack-bot \3 --env-file .env \4 --restart unless-stopped \5 slack-bot
Option 3: Cloud Functions
For simple notification bots, use serverless:
AWS Lambda example:
1import json2from slack_sdk import WebClient3import os45client = WebClient(token=os.environ['SLACK_BOT_TOKEN'])67def lambda_handler(event, context):8 """Triggered by CloudWatch Events (cron)"""910 # Your bot logic11 client.chat_postMessage(12 channel=os.environ['SLACK_CHANNEL'],13 text="Scheduled notification from Lambda"14 )1516 return {17 'statusCode': 200,18 'body': json.dumps('Notification sent')19 }
Configure CloudWatch Events to trigger on schedule.
Best Practices
1. Rate Limiting
Slack has rate limits. Batch messages when possible:
1import time23def send_multiple_notifications(messages):4 """Send multiple messages with rate limiting"""5 for message in messages:6 client.chat_postMessage(**message)7 time.sleep(1) # 1 message per second to avoid rate limits
2. Error Handling
Always handle API errors:
1from slack_sdk.errors import SlackApiError23try:4 client.chat_postMessage(channel="#alerts", text="Alert")5except SlackApiError as e:6 if e.response['error'] == 'channel_not_found':7 print("Channel doesn't exist or bot not invited")8 elif e.response['error'] == 'not_in_channel':9 print("Bot needs to be invited to channel")10 else:11 print(f"Unexpected error: {e.response['error']}")
3. Logging
Log all bot actions for debugging:
1import logging23logging.basicConfig(4 level=logging.INFO,5 format='%(asctime)s - %(name)s - %(levelname)s - %(message)s',6 handlers=[7 logging.FileHandler('bot.log'),8 logging.StreamHandler()9 ]10)1112logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)1314logger.info("Bot started")15logger.warning("CPU threshold exceeded")16logger.error("Failed to send notification")
4. Secure Credentials
Never commit credentials. Use environment variables or secret managers:
1# Good2slack_token = os.getenv('SLACK_BOT_TOKEN')34# Bad5slack_token = "xoxb-12345-secret-token" # Never do this!
For production, use AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, or similar.
Conclusion
You now have three production-ready Slack bot templates:
- Notification bot: Send scheduled reminders and reports
- Monitoring bot: Alert on system issues and metrics
- Interactive bot: Respond to slash commands with data lookups
Key takeaways:
- Slack bots are simple to build with the official Python SDK
- Use Block Kit for rich, interactive messages
- Deploy on servers, Docker, or serverless depending on use case
- Handle errors gracefully and respect rate limits
Next steps:
- Pick your use case (notifications, monitoring, or interactive)
- Set up Slack app and get bot token
- Customize one of the templates above
- Test in development Slack workspace
- Deploy to production
Slack bots transform team communication from passive to proactive, putting critical information exactly where your team already works.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a paid Slack plan to create bots?
No. Bots work on all Slack plans including the free tier. However, some features like unlimited message history require paid plans. Bot creation and basic functionality (sending messages, slash commands) work on free workspaces.
Can one bot post to multiple channels?
Yes. Simply change the channel parameter in chat_postMessage() to different channel IDs. You can get channel IDs from channel details in Slack. The bot needs to be invited to private channels before it can post there. Public channels don't require invitation if you use the chat:write.public scope.
How do I handle sensitive data in bot messages?
Use ephemeral messages (visible only to the command user) for sensitive data: set response_type: "ephemeral" in command responses. For user-to-user private info, use client.chat_postEphemeral(). Never post passwords, API keys, or PII to public channels. Consider using Slack's Enterprise Grid data loss prevention features for additional security.
What happens if my bot server goes down?
The bot stops working until the server restarts. For critical monitoring bots, implement: (1) Health checks and auto-restart (systemd, Docker restart policies), (2) Multiple instances behind a load balancer, (3) Monitoring on the monitoring bot (meta-monitoring), or (4) Use serverless functions (AWS Lambda) which have built-in high availability.
Can I test slash commands without deploying to a public server?
Yes, use ngrok to expose your local development server: ngrok http 5000 gives you a public HTTPS URL that forwards to localhost:5000. Update the Slack app's slash command Request URL to the ngrok URL. Perfect for development and testing before production deployment. Free tier works fine for testing.
Related articles: Python Slack Bot Automation Tutorial, Python API Automation with Requests Tutorial
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