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Telegram

Requirements​

  • An HTTPS Endpoint to your chatbot:

    • Set the externalUrl field in botpress.config.json
    • Create an HTTPS tunnel to your machine using Ngrok (Tutorial).
    • Using Nginx and Let's Encrypt (Tutorial).

Create a Bot​

To create a bot on Telegram, use Telegram's BotFather. The BotFather will ask you for a name and username, then generate an authorization token for your new bot.

The name of your bot is displayed in contact details and elsewhere.

The Username is a short name to be used in mentions and t.me links. Usernames are 5-32 characters long and are case insensitive but may only include Latin characters, numbers, and underscores. Your bot's username must end in bot, such as tetris_bot or TetrisBot.

Setup​

Generate an Authorization Token​

When you create a Telegram bot, Botfather will automatically generate a token. The token is a string that is required to authorize the bot and send requests to the Bot API. Keep your token secure and store it safely; anyone can use it to control your bot.

If your existing token is compromised or you lost it for some reason, use the /token command to generate a new one.

  1. Edit data/bots/<YOUR_BOT_ID>/bot.config.json. In the messaging.channels.telegram section write this configuration :

  • enabled: set to true

  • botToken: your bot token

    Your bot.config.json should look like this:

{
  // ... other data
  "messaging": {
    "channels": {
      "telegram": {
        "enabled": true,
        "botToken": "your_bot_token"
      }
      // ... other channels can also be configured here
    }
  }
}
  1. Restart Botpress and talk to your Telegram bot. The webhook will be configured automatically to point to <EXTERNAL_URL>/api/v1/messaging/webhooks/<YOUR_BOT_ID/telegram.