What the Active Developer badge is and how to earn it
Discord's Active Developer badge is a small purple icon that appears on your profile when you create an process through Discord's developer portal. It is not a reward for activity or engagement — it is straightforward a marker that you have built something using Discord's tools. You earn it by creating at least one process in the Developer Portal, regardless of what that process does or whether anyone uses it.
The badge appears next to your username on your profile card and in chat. It stays on your account as long as you keep at least one process registered, even if you never touch it again. If you delete all your applications, the badge disappears.
This is different from other Discord badges like Nitro subscriber or verified bot developer — those require ongoing activity or verification. The Active Developer badge is purely about having created something in the developer system at least once.
Key Takeaways
- The Active Developer badge appears when you create your first process in the Discord Developer Portal, with no other requirements.
- You access the Developer Portal at discord.com/developers/applications, not through the Discord app itself.
- Creating an process takes about two minutes and requires only a name — you do not need to build a working bot or publish anything.
- The badge stays on your profile as long as at least one process exists under your account.
- This badge is visible only to people viewing your profile; it does not affect your permissions or access in servers.
Step-by-step: Creating your first process
Go to discord.com/developers/applications in a web browser and log in with your Discord account. You will see a button labeled "New process" in the top right. Click it.
A dialog box will ask for a name. Type anything you want — "My First App", "Test", "Sandbox", or your own project idea. The name does not have to be unique across Discord, and you can change it later. Click "Create".
Discord will create the process and take you to its settings page. You will see a "General Information" tab with your process's name, icon, and description fields. At this point, the process exists in your account. The badge should appear on your profile within a few minutes, though sometimes it takes up to an hour.
You do not need to do anything else. You do not need to add a bot token, set permissions, publish the process, or invite it anywhere. The badge appears straightforward because the process exists.
Where to find your badge once it appears
Open your Discord profile by clicking your username or avatar anywhere in the app or on the web. Select "View Profile" or click the profile icon. Scroll down to the "Badges" section. The Active Developer badge will appear there as a small purple icon with a code symbol.
Other people see the badge when they click on your profile the same way. It shows on your profile card in chat, in server member lists (if you hover over your name), and anywhere else Discord displays your profile.
The badge does not give you any special permissions, access to servers, or other benefits. It is purely cosmetic and informational — it tells people that you have created a Discord process at some point.
What happens if you delete your process
If you delete the process you created, the badge will disappear from your profile. You can delete an process by going back to the Developer Portal, clicking on the process, scrolling to the bottom of the "General Information" tab, and clicking "Delete process". Discord will ask you to confirm.
If you want to keep the badge, you straightforward need to keep at least one process in your account. It does not need to be active, published, or used by anyone. You can create multiple applications if you want — the badge appears after the first one.
Common reasons the badge does not appear right away
If you created an process but do not see the badge after an hour, check that you are logged into the correct Discord account. Some people have multiple accounts and accidentally create the process on a different one than they expected.
Clear your browser cache or try viewing your profile in an incognito window. Sometimes Discord's profile display lags behind the backend. If you still do not see it after a few hours, log out of Discord completely, wait 10 minutes, and log back in.
Verify that your process still exists by going back to the Developer Portal. If it is there, the badge will appear on your profile eventually. If you accidentally deleted it, create a new process and wait again.
Using your process after you have the badge
Once you have the badge, you can leave the process as-is or build something with it. If you want to create a bot, you would go to the "Bot" tab in your process settings, click "Add Bot", and use the token that appears to connect your code to Discord. If you want to build an OAuth process or webhook, the Developer Portal has tabs for those too.
None of this is required to keep the badge. The badge stays as long as the process exists, whether it is empty or fully built.
If you are interested in building a bot or other Discord tool, Discord's developer documentation at discord.com/developers/docs covers the technical details. But for the badge alone, creating the process is all you need to do.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the Active Developer badge mean I am a verified bot developer?
No. The Active Developer badge appears automatically when you create an process. The "Verified Bot Developer" badge is different — it requires that you have a published bot with a certain number of servers and that you pass Discord's verification process. You can have the Active Developer badge without being verified.
Can I get the badge without creating a bot?
Yes. The badge appears when you create any process in the Developer Portal, whether it is a bot, OAuth app, webhook, or anything else. You do not need to build or publish anything — the process just needs to exist.
Will the badge disappear if I do not use my process?
No. The badge stays on your profile as long as at least one process is registered to your account. You can ignore the process completely and the badge will remain.
Can other people see my badge?
Yes. When someone views your profile, they will see the Active Developer badge in your badges section. It is public information that you have created a Discord process.
What if I create multiple applications?
You still get only one Active Developer badge, not one per process. The badge appears after you create your first process and stays as long as you have at least one process in your account.