Governance
Why Not to Share the Owner Login or Give Everyone Admin on Discord
Shared logins and blanket Administrator roles both remove the structure that keeps access traceable to one person.
Is this your situation?
You want your team to manage the server without everyone holding the owner login or the Administrator role. You are looking for a structure that keeps control distributed, with a backup owner rather than shared credentials, and roles short of full admin access.
Where teams go wrong
- Sharing the owner login A server owner can transfer ownership of a server to another server member.Why it happens: Team owner credentials should be kept secure as a security best practice.
- Giving everyone Administrator Inviting a team member requires setting their permission role.Why it happens: Appropriate permission levels should be used for each team member.
- One owner, no structure There can only be 1 owner per developer team.Why it happens: Team owner credentials should be kept secure as a security best practice.
- Wrong team role assigned The Admin team role can manage team settings and applications.Why it happens: The Admin team role cannot take destructive actions on the team or team-owned apps.
What good practice looks like
| Approach | What happens | Better practice |
|---|---|---|
| Shared owner login | Not stated by Discord | Keep team owner credentials secure. |
| Everyone as Administrator | Not stated by Discord | Use appropriate permission levels for each team member. |
| Admin team role | The Admin team role can manage team settings and applications. | The Admin team role cannot take destructive actions on the team or team-owned apps. |
| Developer team role | The Developer team role can access and modify applications. | The Developer team role cannot manage team settings. |
| Read-only team role | The Read-only team role can view applications but cannot make changes. | Not stated by Discord |
How Discord handles this
- A developer team is the foundation for building and managing apps on Discord.
- Developer teams let users share ownership of their Discord applications.
- Developer teams let users invite collaborators to their project.
- There can only be 1 owner per developer team.
- The Owner team role has full control over the team and all applications.
Before you start
- Confirm who holds owner credentials. Team owner credentials should be kept secure as a security best practice.Verify: Check that owner login details are not shared across the team.
- Review permission levels per member. Appropriate permission levels should be used for each team member.Verify: Check each member's assigned team role.
- Check the Admin role's limits. The Admin team role cannot take destructive actions on the team or team-owned apps.Verify: Check whether destructive actions are restricted for Admin members.
- Check the Developer role's scope. The Developer team role cannot manage team settings.Verify: Check whether team settings are hidden from Developer role members.
Which scenario is yours?
- Does your team need to share ownership of an application? Developer teams let users share ownership of their Discord applications.
- Does a member need to manage team settings and applications? The Admin team role can manage team settings and applications, but cannot take destructive actions on the team or team-owned apps.
- Does a member only need to access and modify applications? The Developer team role can access and modify applications, but cannot manage team settings.
- Does a member only need to view applications? The Read-only team role can view applications but cannot make changes.
- Does one person need full control over the team and all applications? The Owner team role has full control over the team and all applications.
Keeping this working over time
- Team owner credentials should be kept secure as a security best practice.
- Appropriate permission levels should be used for each team member.
- Consider whether control rests with one account; review backup owner arrangements.
- There can only be 1 owner per developer team, so plan who holds that role before it becomes a gap.
If control is already lost — Recover a Hacked Discord Account
Keeping track of who has access
A server works when access is held by several people, not one shared login passed around the team. Keeping each role scoped to what it needs preserves clarity across people as the team changes. You want to check who can do what without opening each account to confirm it. Delvia keeps that record for you.
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