How to create a Telegram bot

Step 1: Register your bot with BotFather

@BotFather is Telegram's official bot for creating bots. It's free and you don't need a developer account.

1. Open @BotFather in Telegram and tap Start.
2. Send /newbot.
3. Type a name. This is what people see in chats, like Pizza Corner. You can change it later.
4. Type a username. It must end in bot, like pizzacorner_bot, and can't be changed later.
5. BotFather replies with your bot's link and a token. Copy the token. It's the key that lets a program control your bot.

Your bot now exists, but it won't reply to anyone yet. That's step 2. For more detail on tokens, see how to get a bot token.

Step 2: Give your bot something to do

A bot replies only when a program, running somewhere, reads its messages and answers them. You have two options.

Option A: Use a no-code bot maker

A bot maker runs the program for you. With Echo Maker:

1. Open Echo Maker (@mkfrbot) and tap Start.
2. Pick a template, like a video downloader, an AI chat bot or a translator.
3. Paste the token from step 1.

The bot goes live right away. Hosting is free, and you manage it from an admin panel inside Telegram.

Option B: Write the code yourself

If you can program, you can use the Telegram Bot API from almost any language. Popular libraries include python-telegram-bot, aiogram (Python), grammY and Telegraf (JavaScript). You'll also need a server or hosting that stays online, because the bot stops replying when your program stops.

Code or no code: which should you pick?

If a template already does what you need, a bot maker is faster. If you need something unusual, like a link to your own database, write code.

Step 3: Finish your bot's profile

Back in @BotFather, you can give your bot a profile photo, a description and a list of commands. These make it look trustworthy when people open it for the first time. See how to change a bot's name, photo and description.

Step 4: Share it

Your bot's link is t.me/ plus its username, like t.me/pizzacorner_bot. Share it anywhere. Note that a bot can't message someone first: people need to open it and tap Start. To use it in a group, add it to the group.

Questions