Replying vs Defering vs Achnowledging

In the Discord interaction system, there are three ways to respond to an interaction:

1. Replying

This is the simplest way to respond to an interaction and is used for most commands. It can be done using the reply method on any interaction class. Keep in mind, an initial response, whether a reply or a defer, must be made within three seconds of receiving the interaction. If you don't respond within this time frame, the interaction will show an error as if you never replied.

async run(interaction: CommandInteraction) {
    await interaction.reply({ content: "Hello, world!" })
}

2. Deferring

Deferring is used when you need more time to process an interaction. When you defer an interaction, the bot sends a loading state to the user. You then have up to 15 minutes to reply using the normal reply method.

async run(interaction: CommandInteraction) {
    await interaction.defer()
    // perform a time-consuming task
    await interaction.reply({ content: "Hello, world!" })
}

3. Acknowledging

Acknowledging is used when you want to acknowledge an interaction without replying to it. This can only be used for message component-based interactions. It is useful for scenarios like game bots where you want to trigger an action and then only edit the original message.

async run(interaction: ButtonInteraction) {
    await interaction.acknowledge()
}