# What is Medusa? URL: https://zerodev.ca/blogs/what-is-medusa Published: 2026-10-11 Updated: 2026-10-11 > Medusa is a self-hosted Discord bot with 26 included modules, a web dashboard, 16 languages and support for running several bots from one install. ## Key Takeaways - Medusa replaces the separate bots most servers use for moderation, tickets, levels, giveaways, music and more. - Everything is set up from a web dashboard that runs inside the bot, with nothing extra to host. - It ships with 26 modules, plus five paid modules for automation, economy, emoji locking, Minecraft and downloads. - The bot and dashboard run in 16 languages, and one install can run several Discord bots. - Ranks decide who can use which commands and which dashboard pages, and every change is logged. ## What Medusa Is Medusa is a Discord bot you run on your own server. It replaces the handful of bots most communities end up with, one for moderation, one for tickets, one for levels and so on, with a single bot that carries your name and avatar. You set it up from a web dashboard instead of config files. The dashboard runs inside Medusa, so there is no second app to host. ## What It Does Medusa is built from modules. Each one adds commands, settings, messages and, where it makes sense, its own dashboard pages. Turn off the ones you do not need. ### Moderation and Safety * **Moderation**: bans, kicks, timeouts and warnings with numbered cases, automod, warning escalation, staff notes and server logs. * **Security**: member verification, an account age gate, anti-raid lockdowns and ghost ping detection. * **Anti-Nuke**: stops a compromised admin account from wiping your server, and puts back what it deleted. * **Anti-Scam**: removes fake giveaways, phishing links and image scam posts, and runs honeypot channels. * **Appeals** and **Backups** round it out. ### Members and Access * **Tickets**: private support tickets from panels, with claiming, priorities, inactivity closing and transcripts. * **Management**: welcome and leave cards, boost messages, autorole with sticky roles and reaction roles. * **Applications**, **Modmail**, **Invites** and **Join to Create** voice channels. ### Community and Fun * **Leveling**: XP from messages and voice, rank cards, multipliers and role rewards. * **Engagement**: chat games that start when a busy channel goes quiet, plus daily posts and reputation. * **Games**, **Giveaways**, **Suggestions**, **Starboard**, **Birthdays**, **Counting** and **Snake**. ### Audio, Media and Utilities * **Music** with a live player and a dashboard controller, and **TTS**. * **Alerts** for Twitch, YouTube, Kick, TikTok and Instagram. * **Utility** for reminders, polls, sticky messages and stat counters, and **Tags** for saved replies. The full list, with every setting and command, is in the [module docs](/docs/medusa/modules). ## The Dashboard The dashboard is where you run Medusa day to day. Sign in with Discord, and you get: * **Configs** for every module, with real channel, role, emoji and color pickers. * **Commands** to rename commands, turn them off or add a text prefix. * **Lang** to edit any message or embed, in any of the 16 languages. * **Embeds** to build a message and send it to a channel. * **Logs** with the live console, and **Audit** for who changed what and when. * **Permissions** for ranks, their roles and what they unlock. Modules add their own pages too, such as Moderation Cases, Tickets and the Music Player. ## Ranks and Permissions Medusa's ranks decide who can use which commands and which dashboard pages. A support rank can see Tickets without seeing Settings. The license owner always has full access, and every change made on the dashboard shows up in the audit log. ## More Than One Bot One Medusa install can run several Discord bots. The bot from setup runs Core and anything you have not given to another bot. You could run tickets on one bot and games on another, each with its own name and avatar. Add a bot from the **Bot** page and pick the modules it runs. ## Paid Modules Five modules are sold separately: * **Automation**: build your own commands and workflows from blocks on a canvas. * **Economy**: a server currency with wallets, banks, jobs, a daily streak and a shop. * **Minecraft**: chat bridge, account linking, server status, RCON and rank sync. * **Emoji Locker**: limit custom emojis to the roles you choose. * **Product Panel**: panels that let members download your products, gated by role. There are also two paid extras: hosted Lavalink for the Music module, and removing Medusa's name from embed footers. ## Writing Your Own Modules Modules are folders with a manifest, and Medusa loads them at startup. The [developer documentation](/docs/medusa/developer-documentation) covers commands, events, configs, lang files, dashboard pages and the rest, so you can add your own features without touching Medusa's core. ## What You Need * A host that runs Node.js 22 or newer, or Bun. * A PostgreSQL, MySQL or MariaDB database. * A Discord application with a bot. * Your Medusa license key from the [Zero Development Discord](https://discord.zerodev.ca). The first start opens a setup wizard in your browser. It asks for your license key, database and bot token, then brings everything online without a restart. ## Questions ### What is Medusa? Medusa is a self-hosted Discord bot by Zero Development. It ships with 26 modules, such as moderation, tickets, leveling, giveaways and music, and you set it up from a web dashboard that runs inside the bot. ### Is Medusa a monthly subscription? No. Medusa is a one-time purchase on BuiltByBit. Five optional modules and two extras are sold separately. ### What does Medusa need to run? Node.js 22 or newer, or Bun, a PostgreSQL, MySQL or MariaDB database, a Discord bot application and a Medusa license key. ### Can Medusa run more than one Discord bot? Yes. One install can run several bots, and you choose which modules each bot runs from the Bot page on the dashboard. ### What languages does Medusa support? The bot and the dashboard are translated into 16 languages, and any message can be edited from the Lang page. ### Can I write my own Medusa modules? Yes. Modules are folders with a manifest. The developer documentation at zerodev.ca/docs/medusa/developer-documentation covers commands, events, configs and dashboard pages.