Telegram Bot Registration 🤖

This guide walks you through creating your own Telegram bot and obtaining an API token. Learn how to add features like descriptions, profile pictures, and custom commands.

Telegram’s official bot @BotFather helps you create and manage your own bots. Here is a link to the official docs. Once you type /start to begin the conversation with @BotFather, it will give you access to all commands.

Creating a New Bot

Now, let’s create your bot! Type the command /newbot and send it. @BotFather will guide you through the process, making it super easy. You’ll be asked to enter a name for your bot. This is the name that users will see, so pick something catchy and relevant to what your bot will do.

Next, you’ll need to choose a unique username for your bot. It has to be at least 5 characters long and end with “bot” (like my_first_bot). Type in your chosen username and send it off. Once your bot is created, @BotFather will give you an HTTP API token. For example, your token might look something like this:

123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrSTUvwxYZ

Keep it secure and never share it with anyone! This token is essential for interacting with the Telegram Bot API.

Adding Features

You can add some extra features using additional commands. For example, you can set a description for your bot with the /setdescription command, which will show up in the bot’s profile. If you want to give users more context about what your bot does, you can provide an “About” text using the /setabouttext command.

Want to make your bot look more appealing? You can upload a profile picture with the /setuserpic command. Plus, you can create a list of commands that your bot can respond to by using the /setcommands command, which can really enhance the user experience.

Setting Up a Webhook

Unlike long polling, where bot keeps asking Telegram for updates, a webhook lets Telegram send updates directly to your server. This makes webhooks more efficient because your bot doesn’t waste time checking for new messages. With webhooks, your bot is always ready to respond to users right away!

First, you’ll need a server to host your bot. This could be a cloud service or any server that supports HTTPS. Just make sure your server can handle incoming POST requests.

Once you have your hosting service ready, it’s time to set your webhook. Use the following command to do this, replacing <YOUR_TOKEN> with your bot’s API token and <YOUR_WEBHOOK_URL> with your server’s URL:

curl -F "url=https://<YOUR_WEBHOOK_URL>" \
    https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/setWebhook

This command tells Telegram where to send updates for your bot, allowing it to respond to messages in real-time.