How to Create a Chatbot in Telegram: A Complete Guide for Beginners

Creating a chatbot in Telegram takes about 30 minutes if you follow the right steps. You need three things: a Telegram account, the BotFather app on Telegram, and basic code or a no-code platform. The actual process involves talking to BotFather to get a token, then connecting that token to code that responds to messages.

This guide covers everything. You’ll understand what a Telegram chatbot is, why you’d want one, and exactly how to build it from scratch. No confusing jargon. Just practical steps.

What Is a Telegram Chatbot and Why Create One

A Telegram chatbot is a program that automatically responds to messages in Telegram. It runs 24/7 without you typing anything. When someone sends it a message, the bot processes that message and sends back an answer.

People create Telegram chatbots for many reasons:

Customer support without hiring staff
Sending automated notifications about events, orders, or news
Creating interactive games or quizzes
Managing group chats automatically
Taking orders for a small business
Providing information instantly (weather, news, translations)

The best part? Telegram provides free tools for anyone. You don’t need to pay anything upfront.

Two Ways to Create a Telegram Chatbot

You have two main paths: no-code solutions and coding solutions.

No-Code Solution: Faster for Beginners

No-code platforms let you build a chatbot through a visual interface. You don’t write code. You click buttons, set up responses, and the platform handles the technical work.

Best platforms for this:

Chatbase or Botpress: Visual builders with Telegram integration
Make (formerly Integromat): Automation tool that connects services together
Zapier: Similarly good for simple automations

No-code takes 20 minutes to set up. You get a working bot quickly. The downside? Limited features for complex behaviors.

Coding Solution: Full Control, More Powerful

Writing code gives you complete control. Your bot can do almost anything. You need programming knowledge, but it’s learnable.

Best languages and frameworks:

Python with python-telegram-bot library (easiest)
Node.js with Telegraf framework (also beginner-friendly)
Go language (faster performance)

Coding takes longer initially but gives you flexibility to add features later.

Step-by-Step: Creating Your First Telegram Chatbot

Step 1: Create Your Telegram Account

This is obvious but necessary. Download Telegram from telegram.org or use it in a web browser. Create an account with your phone number.

Step 2: Find BotFather

BotFather is Telegram’s official bot for creating bots. It’s not a real person. It’s an automated system run by Telegram.

Here’s how to find it:

Open Telegram
Search for “BotFather” in the search bar (magnifying glass icon)
Click on the official one with the robot emoji
Click “Start”

You’ll see a welcome message with instructions.

Step 3: Create a New Bot with BotFather

Send BotFather the message: /newbot

BotFather will ask you two things:

Name of your bot (this is what people see)
Username of your bot (this starts with your choice and ends in bot, like “my_learning_bot”)

The username must be unique across all Telegram. If it’s taken, try again with a different name.

BotFather then gives you something critical: your API token. It looks like this: 123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrSTUvwxyz

Save this token somewhere safe. You’ll need it for everything.

Step 4: Set Up Your Bot’s Profile (Optional but Recommended)

You can customize how your bot appears. Send BotFather these commands:

/setdescription: Write what your bot does
/setcommands: Create custom commands (like /start, /help)
/setuserpic: Add a profile picture

This makes your bot look professional.

Step 5: Choose Your Method and Build

For No-Code Users: Using Botpress

Go to botpress.com
Sign up for free
Create a new bot
Go to Integrations and find Telegram
Paste your API token from BotFather
Design your bot’s responses using the visual editor
Deploy

The visual editor lets you create flows. A flow is the conversation path. For example:

User sends: “Hello”
Bot responds: “Hi there! How can I help?”

You set this up by dragging blocks and connecting them. No coding needed.

For Coders: Using Python

Python is the easiest coding path. Here’s a basic example.

First, install the library:

pip install python-telegram-bot

Then write this basic bot:

from telegram import Update
from telegram.ext import Application, CommandHandler, MessageHandler, filters, ContextTypes

async def start(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE):
    await update.message.reply_text("Hello! I'm your bot. Type /help for commands.")

async def help_command(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE):
    await update.message.reply_text("Commands: /start, /help, /about")

async def handle_message(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE):
    user_message = update.message.text

    if "hello" in user_message.lower():
        await update.message.reply_text("Hello back!")
    else:
        await update.message.reply_text("I didn't understand that.")

if __name__ == '__main__':
    app = Application.builder().token("YOUR_API_TOKEN_HERE").build()

    app.add_handler(CommandHandler("start", start))
    app.add_handler(CommandHandler("help", help_command))
    app.add_handler(MessageHandler(filters.TEXT, handle_message))

    app.run_polling()

Replace “YOUR_API_TOKEN_HERE” with your actual token from BotFather.

This bot:

Responds to /start and /help commands
Greets users who say hello
Responds to unknown messages

Save this as “bot.py” and run it: python bot.py

The bot stays active as long as this script runs.

Step 6: Keep Your Bot Running

Local computers turn off. Your bot needs to stay online.

Options to keep it running 24/7:

Use a free hosting service: Replit.com, Railway.app, or Render
Rent a cheap server: DigitalOcean, Linode, or AWS
Use a VPS: Virtual Private Server for about 5 dollars monthly

These platforms run your code constantly. When you upload your Python script, it stays active forever.

The easiest free option is Replit:

Go to replit.com
Sign up
Click “Create” and choose Python
Paste your bot code
Click “Run”

Replit keeps it running continuously.

Making Your Bot Do More

After your basic bot works, you can add features.

Add a Database

Store user information, settings, or chat history. Use SQLite (free, local) or Firebase (free, cloud-based).

With a database, your bot can remember conversations and user preferences.

Create Multiple Commands

Add commands beyond /start and /help:

/settings: User preferences
/status: Check something
/subscribe: Join a list
/unsubscribe: Leave a list

Each command triggers different code.

Send Automatic Messages

Schedule messages to send at certain times:

import schedule
import time

def send_reminder():
    # Code to send message here
    pass

schedule.every().day.at("10:30").do(send_reminder)

while True:
    schedule.run_pending()
    time.sleep(60)

This sends a message daily at 10:30 AM.

Add Buttons and Keyboards

Instead of typing, users click buttons. This makes the bot easier to use:

from telegram import ReplyKeyboardMarkup, KeyboardButton

keyboard = [[KeyboardButton("Option 1"), KeyboardButton("Option 2")]]
reply_markup = ReplyKeyboardMarkup(keyboard, resize_keyboard=True)

await update.message.reply_text("Choose:", reply_markup=reply_markup)

Users now see clickable buttons instead of typing everything.

Connect to APIs

Your bot can fetch data from other services. Get weather, news, exchange rates, or anything else:

import requests

response = requests.get("https://api.weather-api.com/current?city=NewYork")
data = response.json()
temperature = data['temp']

await update.message.reply_text(f"Temperature: {temperature}")

This example connects to a weather API and sends the temperature.

Common Bot Features Compared

Feature	Difficulty	Time to Add	Usefulness
Reply to messages	Easy	5 minutes	High
Command handlers	Easy	10 minutes	High
Button keyboards	Easy	15 minutes	High
Database storage	Medium	30 minutes	High
Scheduled messages	Medium	20 minutes	Medium
API integration	Medium	25 minutes	High
Image/media handling	Medium	20 minutes	Medium
Admin commands	Hard	40 minutes	Medium
Natural language processing	Hard	2+ hours	Low to Medium

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Bot Doesn’t Respond

Check these things in order:

Is your bot script running? Check your terminal or hosting platform.
Is your API token correct? Copy it again from BotFather.
Did you add your bot to a chat? Click on your bot’s username to open it.
Is your hosting service active? Log in and verify the script is running.

Bot Goes Offline After Restarting Computer

You’re not using a hosting service. Upload your bot to a free platform like Replit, Railway, or Render. These keep it running 24/7.

Getting “Unauthorized” Error

Your API token is wrong or expired. Go back to BotFather, send /token, select your bot, and get a fresh token. Replace it in your code.

Message Replies Are Slow

Your bot or server is overloaded. Check:

Are you using a very slow hosting service?
Is your code doing heavy processing?
Are you waiting for an API response that’s slow?

Speed up by optimizing your code or upgrading your hosting.

Can’t Find My Bot in Search

The bot hasn’t been used yet or hasn’t indexed. Search by the exact username. You can also open it directly: go to t.me/your_bot_username

Real World Examples

Example 1: Customer Support Bot

A small shop creates a bot that answers common questions about products, shipping, and returns. The bot handles 80% of inquiries. Complex issues get forwarded to a human via email.

Example 2: News Notification Bot

A news bot fetches latest headlines and sends them to subscribers at 8 AM daily. Users can choose topics: sports, tech, or business. The bot uses an API to pull news.

Example 3: To-Do List Bot

A personal bot lets users manage a to-do list. Commands include /add, /list, /done. The bot stores tasks in a database. Users access their list from any device by chatting with the bot.

Example 4: Language Learning Bot

A bot sends vocabulary daily. Users get one word each morning with pronunciation, translation, and an example sentence. Users can ask for hints or translations.

Best Practices for Telegram Bots

Keep Responses Quick

Never make users wait more than 2 seconds. If processing takes longer, send a “thinking” message while working.

Be Clear in Instructions

Tell users what commands exist. Add a /help command. Use clear button labels. Avoid confusing flows.

Handle Errors Gracefully

When something breaks, don’t send error messages. Instead, tell the user in simple language what happened:

Bad: “IndexError on line 47: list index out of range”

Good: “I couldn’t find that information. Try again or type /help.”

Respect User Privacy

Don’t collect unnecessary information. Be clear about what data you store. Never share user data with third parties without permission.

Test Before Launching

Add commands one by one. Test each one thoroughly. Have friends use it. Find and fix bugs before many people use it.

Provide an Easy /help Command

Always include this. List every command with a brief explanation:

/start: Begin using the bot
/help: Show this message
/settings: Change preferences
/contact: Reach support

Respond to /start Appropriately

This is the first message new users see. Make it friendly and clear:

“Welcome! I’m a weather bot. Type your city name to get weather info. Type /help for more commands.”

Security Considerations

Keep Your API Token Secret

Never share it publicly or upload it to GitHub without protection. Anyone with this token can control your bot.

Safe practices:

Store tokens in environment variables
Use a .env file and add it to .gitignore
Never paste it in code you upload publicly

Validate User Input

Never trust what users send. Validate and sanitize it:

user_input = update.message.text.strip()

if len(user_input) > 1000:
    await update.message.reply_text("Message too long")
    return

if dangerous_word in user_input:
    await update.message.reply_text("I can't help with that")
    return

Rate Limiting

Don’t let users spam commands. Limit requests per user:

user_id = update.effective_user.id
current_time = time.time()

if user_id not in last_request:
    last_request[user_id] = current_time
elif current_time - last_request[user_id] < 1:
    await update.message.reply_text("Slow down, please!")
    return

last_request[user_id] = current_time

This prevents a user from sending 100 commands per second.

Deploying Your Bot Properly

Using Railway.app (Recommended for Beginners)

Create account at railway.app
Connect your GitHub repository
Add a Procfile with this content:

worker: python bot.py

Add environment variables: Right-click project, Variables, paste your API token
Deploy

Your bot stays online forever.

Using Replit

Create account at replit.com
Create new Python project
Upload your bot.py file
Click Run
Go to Tools > Secrets and add your token

Replit keeps it running in the background.

Using Docker

Advanced users can containerize their bot:

Create a Dockerfile:

FROM python:3.9
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
CMD ["python", "bot.py"]

Upload to a Docker platform like AWS or Heroku.

Summary

Creating a Telegram chatbot is accessible to anyone. You don’t need advanced skills or money.

Start here:

Download Telegram
Find BotFather, create your bot, get the token
Choose no-code (Botpress) or code (Python)
Build a simple version that works
Deploy to free hosting (Railway, Replit)
Add features as you learn

The beauty of Telegram bots is they’re free to create and deploy. You can start with a basic bot and grow it. Many successful small businesses use Telegram bots for customer service, sales, and support.

The hardest part isn’t technical. It’s deciding what your bot should do and actually building it. The tools are all available and free.

Pick a problem your bot could solve. Start building today. You’ll have a working bot in less than an hour.

FAQ

How much does it cost to create a Telegram chatbot?

Nothing. Telegram’s bot API is completely free. Your only costs are hosting if you want it running 24/7. Free hosting exists at Railway.app, Replit, or Render. If you need more advanced hosting, servers cost 5 to 10 dollars monthly.

Can I make money with a Telegram chatbot?

Yes. Bots can drive sales through product recommendations, take orders, book appointments, or charge for premium features. Some creators build bots that generate revenue through affiliate links or by selling access to special features.

Does my bot need approval from Telegram to launch?

No. You can create and launch instantly. Telegram doesn’t require approval. The only restriction is your bot can’t break Telegram’s terms of service like sending spam or scams.

How many people can use my bot at the same time?

Theoretically, unlimited. Telegram’s servers handle the traffic. Your bot is limited by your hosting and code efficiency. A bot on Replit can handle hundreds of simultaneous users easily.

Can I add my bot to a group chat?

Yes. Search for your bot in a group, click it, and add it. Your bot can then respond to messages in that group. You can use /setjoingroups with BotFather to configure if your bot allows group usage.

Author
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Lokesh Sharma

Lokesh Sharma enjoys exploring new digital tools and turning his experience into clear, practical content. He focuses on writing helpful tech guides that save readers time and make everyday tasks easier.