**Note**: bridging to [Discord](https://discordapp.com/) can also happen via the [mx-puppet-discord](configuring-playbook-bridge-mx-puppet-discord.md) and [mautrix-discord](configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-discord.md) bridges supported by the playbook.
- For using as a Bot we are recommend the Appservice Discord bridge (the one being discussed here), because it supports plumbing.
- For personal use we recommend the [mautrix-discord](configuring-playbook-bridge-mautrix-discord.md) bridge, because it is the most fully-featured and stable of the 3 Discord bridges supported by the playbook.
The playbook can install and configure [matrix-appservice-discord](https://github.com/Half-Shot/matrix-appservice-discord) for you.
See the project's [documentation](https://github.com/Half-Shot/matrix-appservice-discord/blob/master/README.md) to learn what it does and why it might be useful to you.
5. If you've already installed Matrix services using the playbook before, you'll need to re-run it (`--tags=setup-all,start`). If not, proceed with [configuring other playbook services](configuring-playbook.md) and then with [Installing](installing.md). Get back to this guide once ready.
Self-service bridging allows you to bridge specific and existing Matrix rooms to specific Discord rooms. This is disabled by default, so it must be enabled by adding this to your `vars.yml`:
1. Start a chat with `@_discord_bot:<YOUR_DOMAIN>` and say `!discord help bridge`.
2. Follow the instructions in the help output message. If the bot is not already in the Discord server, follow the provided invite link. This may require you to be a administrator of the Discord server.
_Note: Encrypted Matrix rooms are not supported as of writing._
On the Discord side, you can say `!matrix help` to get a list of available commands to manage the bridge and Matrix users.
## Portal Bridging (Automatic)
Through portal bridging, Matrix rooms will automatically be created by the bot and bridged to the relevant Discord room. This is done by simply joining a room with a specific name pattern (`#_discord_<guildID>_<channlID>`).
All Matrix rooms created this way are **listed publicly** by default, and you will not have admin permissions to change this. To get more control, [make yourself a room Administrator](#getting-administrator-access-in-a-portal-bridged-room). You can then unlist the room from the directory and change the join rules.
If you want to disable portal bridging, set the following in `vars.yml`:
1. To invite the bot to Discord, retrieve the invite link from the `{{ matrix_appservice_discord_config_path }}/invite_link` file on the server (this defaults to `/matrix/appservice-discord/config/invite_link`). You need to peek at the file on the server via SSH, etc., because it's not available via HTTP(S).
2. Room addresses follow this syntax: `#_discord_<guildID>_<channelID>`. You can easily find the guild and channel IDs by logging into Discord in a browser and opening the desired channel. The URL will have this format: `discord.com/channels/<guildID>/<channelID>`.
There's the Discord bridge's guide for [setting privileges on bridge managed rooms](https://github.com/Half-Shot/matrix-appservice-discord/blob/master/docs/howto.md#set-privileges-on-bridge-managed-rooms). To do the same with our container setup, run the following command on the server: