Discord (software)

instant messaging and VoIP software

Discord is a free instant messaging software that lets people talk to each other over the internet.[6] It was originally meant for people who play video games, but is now used by others.[7] In addition to text messaging, you may also make audio and video calls through Discord.[8] Discord is free to use, and it runs on Windows, macOS, Android, iOS, Linux, and in most web browsers it can also be used on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X and Series S and Xbox One consoles but only the Voice Chat function is available and must be started from the main app. It is used by 350 million people[source?], 150 million people use it every month.[9]

Discord
Developer(s)Discord Inc.
(Originally Created By Jason Citron)
Initial releaseMay 13, 2015; 9 years ago (2015-05-13)
Stable release
218.0 / March 5, 2024; 9 months ago (2024-03-05)
Preview release
Canary 272.993 / March 5, 2024; 9 months ago (2024-03-05)
Written inJavaScript, React, Elixir, Rust[1][2]
Engine
  • Electron
Edit this at Wikidata
Operating systemWindows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Web browsers | PlayStation 5 PlayStation 4 Xbox Series X/S Xbox One (Voice Chat only)
Platformx86-64 (Desktop and Console) ARM (M Series Macs and Mobile)
Available in27 languages
List of languages
English (UK/US), Bulgarian, Chinese (Simplified/Traditional), Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese (Brazil), Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese
TypeVoIP communications, instant messaging, videoconferences,[3] content delivery, and social media
LicenseProprietary freeware[4]
Websitediscord.com

Discord Nitro

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Users can pay money to Discord every month to receive extra features, which is called "Discord Nitro".[10] There are two types of Discord Nitro: "Nitro" and "Nitro Basic". Nitro Basic costs $2.99 a month and includes fewer features, while Nitro costs $9.99 a month and includes more features and access to Discord Nitro's game store.[11]

Due to a lack of popularity, however, Discord Nitro's game store was removed on October 15th, 2019.[12][13][14]

Organization

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The most used things on Discord are "servers" and "channels".

Text channels

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A Discord text channel is simply a group chat. People may send text messages, images, and files in real-time. It may also be compared to an IRC channel.

Text channels can be optionally marked as "NSFW", which stands for "Not safe for work". "NSFW" channels require users to verify that they are 18 years or older to view them.

Discord blocks access to NSFW channels for people who are under 18.[15]

Voice channels

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Discord voice channels allow users to transmit audio, video, and share their own screen by using the "Go Live" option.[16]

The administrator can customize the voice channel name, set the user limit (1-99 users), and bit rate.

Servers

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A server is a collection of channels. A server can be managed by one or more people, who also manage the channels within the server. Discord servers may range in size from just one person to hundreds of thousands.

User accounts

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Discord usernames can be unique and have letters, periods, underscores, and numbers. The largest amount of characters a Discord username can have is 32. Discord allows users to have "display names" that users can use to change how their name is shown.

Discord allows users to connect their Discord account with other platforms, such as Twitch. Discord can determine the game a user is playing by looking at the running processes.[17]

References

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  1. Vishnevskiy, Stanislav (June 6, 2017). "How Discord Scaled Elixir to 5,000,000 Concurrent Users". DiscordApp. Retrieved December 15, 2017.
  2. Nowack, Matt (May 17, 2019). "Using Rust to Scale Elixir for 11 Million Concurrent Users". Discord Blog. Discord Inc. Retrieved June 7, 2019.
  3. DiscordApp (October 5, 2017). "05.10.2017 - Changelog". DiscordApp. Retrieved October 5, 2017.
  4. "Discord Terms of Service". Discord. 2018-10-19. Archived from the original on 2019-07-15. Retrieved 2019-07-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. "Discordapp.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. Archived from the original on March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 30, 2019.
  6. Needleman, Sarah E. (2021-03-08). "What Is Everybody Doing on Discord?". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  7. Browning, Kellen. "How Discord, Born From an Obscure Game, Became a Social Hub for Young People". The New York Times.
  8. Nelly (2017-10-06). "5.10.2017 — Change Log". Discord Blog. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  9. "Official website of Discord".
  10. Nelly (2017-01-23). "Boost Your Account and Support Us With Discord Nitro". Discord Blog. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  11. Nelly (2018-10-11). "Discord Nitro is Evolving". Discord Blog. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  12. Nelly (2019-09-12). "What's Coming for Nitro". Medium. Retrieved 2019-09-30.
  13. Carpenter, Nicole (2019-09-13). "Discord's Nitro Games library is being shut down due to lack of use". Polygon. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  14. "Discord is pulling its subscription service's free games library". Engadget. Retrieved 2022-03-22.
  15. "NSFW Channels and Content". Archived from the original on 2020-09-13. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  16. "Screen sharing & Video Calls". Archived from the original on 2020-08-21. Retrieved 2020-09-12.
  17. "How to Add Games to Discord Library". Retrieved 2021-09-19.