Telegram APIs
We offer two kinds of APIs for developers. The Bot API allows you to easily create programs that use Telegram messages for an interface. The Telegram API allows you to build your own customized Telegram clients. You are welcome to use both APIs free of charge.
Bot API
This API allows you to connect bots to our system. Telegram Bots are special accounts that do not require an additional phone number to set up. These accounts serve as an interface for code running somewhere on your server.
To use this, you don't need to know anything about how our MTProto encryption protocol works — our intermediary server will handle all encryption and communication with the Telegram API for you. You communicate with this server via a simple HTTPS-interface that offers a simplified version of the Telegram API.
Bot developers can also make use of our Payments API to accept payments from Telegram users around the world.
Telegram API
This API allows you to build your own customized Telegram clients. It is 100% open for all developers who wish to create Telegram applications on our platform. Feel free to study the open source code of existing Telegram applications for examples of how things work here. Don't forget to register your application in our system.
Getting started
Creating an application
How to get your application identifier and create a new Telegram app.
User authorization
How to register a user's phone to start using the API.
Error handling
How to handle API return errors correctly.
Handling different data centers
How to connect to the closest DC access point for faster interaction with the API, and things to watch out for when developing a client.
Handling updates
How to sign for updates and handle incoming messages.
Handling PUSH-notifications
How to sign for and handle notifications.
Calling methods
Additional options for calling methods.
Uploading and Downloading Files
How to transfer large data batches correctly.
Security
Secret chats, end-to-end encryption
New feature for end-to-end-encrypted messaging.
Security guidelines
Important checks required in your client application.
Perfect Forward Secrecy
Binding temporary authorization key to permanent ones.
Optimization
Client optimization
Ways to boost API interactions.
API methods
Available method list
Complete list of available high-level methods.
API TL-schema, as JSON
Text and JSON-presentation of types and methods used in API.
Available layer list
Complete list of available schema versions.
Updates log
| Oct 29, 2014 | Reorganized Secret Chats documentation: moved Handling Sequence Numbers to a separate document, added section on updating secret chat layers. |
| Oct 9, 2014 | Added Layer 18. |
| Sep 26, 2014 | Added Layer 17. |
| Aug 29, 2014 | New article on Perfect Forward Secrecy. Added Layer 15 and Layer 16. |
| Apr 4, 2014 | Added Layer 13 and Layer 14. |
| Mar 15, 2014 | Added Layer 12. |
| Dec 21, 2013 | Added Layer 11. |
| Nov 30, 2013 | Added Layer 10. |
| Oct 30, 2013 | Added Layer 9. |
| Oct 8, 2013 | New article on secret chats. Added Layer 8. |
| Sep 6, 2013 | New article on TL-schema layers, geochats, new requests. Added layers 2-4. |
| Aug 27, 2013 | New article on client optimizations. |
| Aug 3, 2013 | Updates for documents on polymorphism and vectors in TL. Now undersal vectors ae used in all cases, obsolete language on teemplates has been removed. |
| Aug 2, 2013 | Added update constructor updateMessageID. |
| Aug 1, 2013 | Description for joint updates, added constructor updatesCombined |
| Jul 31, 2013 | Description for file upload/download logic |
| Jul 29, 2013 | Description for gzip-compression use logic for clients |
| Jul 28, 2013 | New article on testing mechanism for forwarding among data centers |