How to create a Telegram bot

You can create a Telegram bot in a chat with @BotFather. It registers the bot’s account and gives you a token to connect it to a program. This guide explains how bots work, takes you through registration, and shows what to do with the token.

What is a Telegram bot?

A Telegram bot is a special kind of account. Like a person’s account, it has a name, a description, and a profile picture. You can send it a private message or add it to a group.

You cannot sign in to a Telegram app as a bot and reply manually. A program runs the account: it receives messages and decides what to send back. The program defines which commands the bot understands and what it can do.

How Telegram bots work

Telegram bots let people interact with programs through an ordinary chat. Instead of opening a separate app with its own menus and forms, they use a familiar Telegram conversation.

For example, an editorial team might want a bot to collect story ideas from readers. A reader sends an idea, and the program saves it and sends a confirmation. Another bot could send meeting reminders or run quizzes. All of these interactions happen through messages, but the programs behind them do different jobs.

To get started, you need to register a bot account. Your existing Telegram account is all you need for registration. You can set up the bot’s behaviour afterwards.

Creating a Telegram bot with @BotFather

@BotFather asks for two things in turn: a display name and a unique address called a username. Our example uses “Editorial inbox” as its display name.

1. Find @BotFather using Telegram search, open the chat, and click the name at the top to open its profile. Check the exact username @BotFather and the verification badge: a similar display name does not mean it is the official bot. Close the profile to return to the chat. If this is your first conversation with @BotFather, click “Start”.

   

   

   Choose a name in advance

   Think of a clear name and a few possible usernames before you begin. The name should tell people what the bot is for, and the username should be short and easy to type. Have another option ready in case your first choice is taken.

2. Send the /newbot command in the chat. @BotFather will reply in English and ask you to choose a name for your new bot.

3. Send the bot’s name as a separate message. Our example uses “Editorial inbox”. You can use Russian letters and spaces here. After the name, @BotFather will ask for a username.

   

4. Send your chosen username without the @ sign. It must be 5 to 32 characters long, use Latin letters, numbers, or underscores, and end in bot. Our example uses @editorial_inbox_flowin_bot; choose a different available username for your own bot. If a username is taken, @BotFather will ask for another one. Once the username is accepted, the reply will include a link to the bot and a token: registration is complete.

   

The bot now has an account and an address people can use to find it. You will need the token for the next stage: connecting a program to the bot.

Telegram bot functions

A newly registered account does not do anything on its own. To collect readers’ ideas, send reminders, or perform another task, the bot needs a program. You can write one yourself, hire a developer, or choose a service with the features you need.

The token from @BotFather gives that program access to your bot’s account. The username has a different purpose: it helps people find the chat, so you can share it with readers and customers.

If you open your new bot, click “Start”, and get no reply, that does not mean registration failed. Until a program is connected, there is nothing to generate a response.