What is this?
Botkit is an open source developer tool for building chat bots, apps, and custom integrations for major messaging platforms like Slack, Facebook Messenger, Twilio SMS, Webex Teams, and Google Hangouts.
Botkit is an open source developer tool for building chat bots, apps, and custom integrations for major messaging platforms like Slack, Facebook Messenger, Twilio SMS, Webex Teams, and Google Hangouts.Is this a standalone app or a framework I build on top of?It is a framework/library: a core 'botkit' package plus separate platform-adapter packages (Slack, Webex, Facebook, Twilio SMS, web, Google Hangouts) that you install into your own Node.js project. It's also part of the Microsoft Bot Framework.
It is a framework/library: a core 'botkit' package plus separate platform-adapter packages (Slack, Webex, Facebook, Twilio SMS, web, Google Hangouts) that you install into your own Node.js project. It's also part of the Microsoft Bot Framework.How do I get started building a bot with it?Follow the 'Install Botkit and get started' guide, or if building from source: clone the monorepo, install lerna and TypeScript globally, run npm install, then 'lerna bootstrap' and 'lerna run build' to compile all packages.
Follow the 'Install Botkit and get started' guide, or if building from source: clone the monorepo, install lerna and TypeScript globally, run npm install, then 'lerna bootstrap' and 'lerna run build' to compile all packages.What do I need installed before building this from source?You need Node.js/npm, plus lerna and TypeScript installed globally, since this is a lerna-managed monorepo of TypeScript packages.
You need Node.js/npm, plus lerna and TypeScript installed globally, since this is a lerna-managed monorepo of TypeScript packages.Is this project still maintained?No — the repository is archived on GitHub, meaning it no longer receives active updates or support.
No — the repository is archived on GitHub, meaning it no longer receives active updates or support.Which messaging platforms have official adapters?The repo ships adapters for web, Slack, Webex Teams (formerly Cisco Spark), Google Hangouts, Twilio SMS, and Facebook Messenger, each as its own npm package.
The repo ships adapters for web, Slack, Webex Teams (formerly Cisco Spark), Google Hangouts, Twilio SMS, and Facebook Messenger, each as its own npm package.What is generator-botkit?It's a Yeoman generator included in the repo for scaffolding a new Botkit project quickly.
It's a Yeoman generator included in the repo for scaffolding a new Botkit project quickly.What does botkit-plugin-cms do?It's a plugin that connects a Botkit bot to Botkit CMS for managing conversation content outside of code.
It's a plugin that connects a Botkit bot to Botkit CMS for managing conversation content outside of code.Can I still use this for a new bot project today?You can, since it's MIT-licensed and the code is public, but since the repo is archived you won't get bug fixes or new platform support going forward.
You can, since it's MIT-licensed and the code is public, but since the repo is archived you won't get bug fixes or new platform support going forward.