Telegram APIs
We offer three kinds of APIs for developers. The Bot API allows you to easily create programs that use Telegram messages for an interface. The Telegram API and TDLib allow you to build your own customized Telegram clients. You are welcome to use both APIs free of charge. Lastly, the Gateway API allows any business, app or website to send verification codes through Telegram instead of traditional SMS.
You can also add Telegram Widgets to your website.
Designers are welcome to create Animated Stickers and Emoji or Custom Themes for Telegram.
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.
TDLib – build your own Telegram
Even if you're looking for maximum customization, you don't have to create your app from scratch. Try our Telegram Database Library (or simply TDLib), a tool for third-party developers that makes it easy to build fast, secure and feature-rich Telegram apps.
TDLib takes care of all network implementation details, encryption and local data storage, so that you can dedicate more time to design, responsive interfaces and beautiful animations.
TDLib supports all Telegram features and makes developing Telegram apps a breeze on any platform. It can be used on Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux and virtually any other system. The library is open source and compatible with virtually any programming language.
Gateway API
The Telegram Gateway API allows any business, app or website to send authorization codes through Telegram instead of traditional SMS – offering a powerful and convenient way to lower costs while increasing the security and delivery speed of your codes to Telegram’s 1 billion monthly active users. Users will instantly receive messages with codes in a special chat inside Telegram.
Telegram's Gateway API is completely free to test. Learn more here »
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.
Two-factor authentication
How to login to a user's account if they have enabled 2FA, how to change password.
QR code login
QR code login flow
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 subscribe to updates and handle them properly.
Handling PUSH-notifications
How to subscribe and handle them properly.
Channels, supergroups, gigagroups and basic groups
How to handle channels, supergroups, gigagroups, basic groups, and what's the difference between them.
Forums
Telegram allows creating forums with multiple distinct topics.
Channel statistics
Telegram offers detailed channel statistics for channels and supergroups.
Calling methods
Additional options for calling methods.
Uploading and Downloading Files
How to transfer large data batches correctly.
Pagination
How to fetch results from large lists of objects.
Client configuration
The MTProto API has multiple client configuration parameters that can be fetched with the appropriate methods.
Security
Secret chats, end-to-end encryption
End-to-end-encrypted messaging.
Security guidelines
Important checks required in your client application.
Perfect Forward Secrecy
Binding temporary authorization key to permanent ones.
End-to-End Encryption in Voice and Video Calls
End-to-end-encrypted calls.
Optimization
Client optimization
Ways to boost API interactions.
API methods
Available method list
A 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
A list of available schema versions.
Other articles
Working with bots, using the MTProto API
How to work with bots using the MTProto API.
Commands
Bots offer a set of commands that can be used by users in private, or in a chat.
Buttons
Users can interact with your bot via buttons or even inline buttons, straight from inline messages in any chat.
Menu button
Bots can choose the behavior of the menu button shown next to the text input field.
Inline queries
Users can interact with your bot via inline queries, straight from the text input field in any chat.
Games
Bots can offer users HTML5 games to play solo or to compete against each other in groups and one-on-one chats; how to work with games in the MTProto API.
Mini apps
Bots can offer users interactive HTML5 mini apps to completely replace any website.
Affiliate programs
Developers can open affiliate programs for their mini app – allowing content creators, other mini app developers and any Telegram user to promote it and earn commissions on purchases made by people they referred.
Attachment menu
Bots can install attachment menu entries, offering conveniently accessible, versatile mini apps.
Stories
Telegram users and channels can easily post and view stories through the API.
Similar channels
The API offers a method to obtain a list of similarly themed public channels, selected based on similarities in their subscriber bases.
Accent colors
Telegram users and channels can change the accent color and background pattern of their profile page and their messages!
Privacy settings
Telegram allows users to specify granular privacy settings, choosing which users can or can't interact with them in certain ways.
Search & filters
Telegram allows applying detailed message filters while looking for messages in chats.
This allows the server to filter messages based on a text query, and even on their type, and this feature is often used by graphical clients to implement features like the chat gallery, chat profile pictures and more.
Polls
Telegram allows sending polls and quizzes, that can be voted on by thousands, if not millions of users in chats and channels.
Reactions
Telegram allows users to react on any message using specific emojis, triggering cute lottie animations.
Animated message effects
Telegram allows adding spectacular animated effects to messages you send.
Emoji categories
Sticker, custom emoji and GIF selection UIs should offer a list of categories to quickly filter results by a (list of) emojis, or by some other criteria.
Emoji status
Telegram allows users to set an emoticon or a custom emoji as status, to show next to their name in chats and profiles.
Invite links and join requests
Channels, basic groups and supergroups may have a public username or a private invite link: private invite links may be further enhanced with per-user join requests.
Admin, banned and default rights for channels, supergroups and groups
How to handle admin permissions, granular bans and global permissions in channels, groups and supergroups.
Discussion groups
Groups can be associated to a channel as a discussion group, to allow users to discuss about posts.
Channel comments and message threads
Telegram allows commenting on a channel post or on a generic group message, thanks to message threads.
Admin log
Both supergroups and channels offer a so-called admin log, a log of recent relevant supergroup and channel actions, like the modification of group/channel settings or information on behalf of an admin, user kicks and bans, and more.
Pinned messages
Telegram allows pinning multiple messages on top of a specific chat.
Mentions
Telegram allows mentioning other users in case of urgent duckling matters, and quickly navigating to those mentions in order to read them as swiftly as possible.
Scheduled messages
Telegram allows scheduling messages.
Live geolocations
Telegram allows sending the live geolocation of a user in a chat, optionally setting a proximity alert.
Peer database
How to work with peer information in the API.
Min constructors
Sometimes, user and channel constructors met in group chat updates may not contain full info about the user: how to handle such constructors.
Account deletion
How to delete a Telegram account.
Imported messages
Telegram allows importing messages and media from foreign chat apps.
Telegram Passport
How to work with Telegram Passport directly using the MTProto API.
Telegram Payments
How to work with Telegram Payments directly using the MTProto API.
Styled text with message entities
How to create styled text with message entities
Working with GIFs
Telegram clients support displaying GIFs.
Working with stickers
Telegram clients support displaying animated, static and video stickers.
Working with custom emojis
Telegram allows including custom animated, static and video emojis directly inside of messages.
Working with animated emojis
Graphical telegram clients should transform emojis into their respective animated version.
Working with animated dice
Telegram supports sending animated dice emojis.
Message drafts
How to handle message drafts
Folders
Working with folders
Top peer rating
If enabled, the rating of top peers indicates the relevance of a frequently used peer in a certain category (frequently messaged users, frequently used bots, inline bots, frequently visited channels and so on).
Handling file references
How to handle file references.
Seamless Telegram Login
Handle Seamless Telegram Login URL authorization requests.
Wallpapers
How to work with chat backgrounds.
Notification sounds
How to work with chat notification sounds.
Message transcription
How to transcribe voice messages.
Message translation
Telegram allows translating chat messages, and Telegram Premium users may even enable real-time chat translation.
Native antispam system
Admins of supergroups with a certain number of members can choose to unleash the full proactive power of Telegram's own antispam algorithms – turning on the new Aggressive mode for the automated spam filters.
Collectibles
Telegram users can make it easy for others to contact them or find their public groups and channels via usernames: clients can also assign multiple Fragment » collectible usernames to accounts, supergroups and channels they own; Fragment » also allows purchasing phone number collectibles that can be used to register Telegram accounts.
Telegram Premium
Telegram Premium is an optional subscription service that unlocks additional exclusive client-side and API-side features, while helping support the development of the app. It is a part of Telegram’s sustainable monetization – driven by our users, rather than advertisers or shareholders. This way, Telegram can remain independent and prioritize its users first.
Telegram Business
Users can turn their Telegram account into a business account, gaining access to business features such as opening hours, location, quick replies, automated messages, custom start page, chatbot support, and more.
For the moment, all Telegram Business features are available for free to Telegram Premium subscribers.
Telegram Stars
Telegram Stars are virtual items that allow users to purchase digital goods and services from bots and mini apps inside the Telegram ecosystem, send gifts to content creators on the Telegram platform, and more.
Subscriptions
Bots and channels may create subscriptions, periodically charging users a certain amount of Telegram Stars in exchange for content and services.
Gifts
Users can send Gifts to their friends. The recipients of gifts can display them on their profile pages or turn them into Telegram Stars ». Telegram Stars can be used for many things, including supporting creators and buying services in mini apps.
Paid media
Content creators can accept Stars by publishing paid photos or videos on their channels. Subscribers will be allowed to view such posts only after paying the author to unlock them.
Channel and supergroup boosts
Telegram Premium users can grant their favorite channels additional features like the ability to post stories by giving them boosts.
Giveaways & gifts
Telegram channel administrators may launch giveaways to randomly distribute Telegram Premium subscriptions and other gifts among their followers, in exchange for boosts.
Action bar
Sometimes, when interacting with Telegram users via private or secret chats, an action bar must be shown on top of the chat, offering convenient action buttons or notices regarding the user.
Saved messages
The Saved Messages chat allows users to bookmark messages and media: it's a personal cloud storage for any messages or media you may want to send or forward there.
Profile
Telegram offers many customization options for your profile!
Themes
Telegram apps support generating, sharing and synchronizing app themes.
Sponsored messages
If your app allows accessing content from Telegram channels, you must include support for official sponsored messages in Telegram channels.
Channel and bot ad revenue
Telegram has one of the most generous reward systems in the history of social media. Telegram channel and bot owners can now receive 50% of the revenue from ads displayed in their channels and bots.
This page describes the methods used to withdraw channel and bot ad revenue, as well as view detailed revenue stats.
Fact-checks
Telegram clients support displaying fact-checks added to messages by independent fact-checkers.
Contacts
Working with contacts in the API.
Blocklist
Working with the blocklist.
Nearby users&chats
How to work with geolocation-based features like geochats and the nearby users feature.
Web events
When interacting with HTML5 games and the websites of payment gateways, Telegram apps should expose the following JS APIs.
Deep links
Telegram clients must handle special tg:// and t.me deep links encountered in messages, link entities and in other apps by registering OS handlers.
Takeout
Telegram's API allows users to export all of their information through the takeout API.