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Root Bots FAQ

Hosting​

Can I host my own services?​

Yes, you can create and host your own services outside of Root. Your Root-hosted, server-side code can communicate with your external service.

Can I self-host?​

You can't fully self-host. Your server-side code needs to be hosted by Root and run inside the Root cloud.

Server-side development​

Which programming languages can I use for my server-side code?​

TypeScript/JavaScript

Networking​

Can I use a third-party web service?​

Yes, your Root-hosted, server-side code can communicate with third-party web services using web sockets. Root is investigating how to support secret storage and webhooks to make this process easier; however, these are not currently implemented.

Test​

How do I test my Bot locally?​

The Root SDK includes the devhost command that will run your Bot locally on your development machine. You can interact with your Bot using the Root desktop client - the Bot will connect to the community represented by the DEV_TOKEN in your .env file.

Troubleshooting​

What does the error message Community in data is xxxxx but configured for yyyyy mean?​

This error occurs during testing with devhost when your rootsdk.sqlite3 database file is configured for the wrong community. Root adds the community ID in your DEV_TOKEN to your rootsdk.sqlite3 file. If you move to a different community (by replacing your DEV_TOKEN), you need a new database file. You can delete the old database file and Root will recreate it on the next run using the new community ID.