Lavalink Guide 2026: Host a Discord Music Bot on VPS

Published on 2026-06-25

How to set up Lavalink for a Discord music bot: installation, configuration, hosting on a VPS, Node.js and Python integration, and troubleshooting.

Lavalink is a standalone audio server for Discord bots. Instead of your bot downloading and encoding audio directly, Lavalink handles all audio processing separately, reducing bot CPU usage and improving stability.

Why Use Lavalink?

Lower bot CPU usage: Audio processing runs on Lavalink, not your bot
Better audio quality: Professional audio pipeline
Scalability: One Lavalink server can serve multiple bots
Stability: Bot crashes do not interrupt playback (Lavalink keeps the audio stream)

Requirements

Java 17 or newer
VPS with at least 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
Your Discord bot (Node.js or Python)

Installation

1. Install Java 17+

sudo apt update
sudo apt install openjdk-17-jre-headless

2. Download Lavalink

mkdir lavalink && cd lavalink
wget https://github.com/lavalink-devs/Lavalink/releases/latest/download/Lavalink.jar

3. Create application.yml

server:
  port: 2333
  address: 0.0.0.0

lavalink:
  server:
    password: "your-secure-password"
    sources:
      youtube: true
      soundcloud: true
      bandcamp: true
      twitch: true
      http: true
      local: false

4. Run Lavalink

java -jar Lavalink.jar

For production, use a systemd service or PM2:

pm2 start "java -jar Lavalink.jar" --name lavalink

Connecting Your Bot

Node.js (discord.js + Shoukaku/Erela.js)

Popular Lavalink clients for discord.js:

Shoukaku, Lightweight, modern
Kazagumo, Built on Shoukaku with more features
Erela.js, Older but widely documented

Python (discord.py + Wavelink/Pomice)

Popular Lavalink clients for Python:

Wavelink, Modern async client
Pomice, Alternative with good documentation

VPS Requirements

Setup	RAM	CPU
Lavalink only	512 MB	1 core
Lavalink + bot	1 GB	1 core
Multiple bots	2 GB	2 cores

FAQ

Is Lavalink free? Yes. It is open source.

Does Lavalink need its own VPS? Not necessarily. It can run on the same VPS as your bot.

Can Lavalink play YouTube? Yes, with the YouTube source enabled. Note that YouTube may restrict access, plugins like LavaSrc can help.