How to Host a Telegram Bot

Step 1: Create the bot with BotFather

1. In Telegram, open @BotFather and send /newbot.
2. Give the bot a display name, then a username: 5 to 32 characters, Latin letters, digits and underscores, ending in bot — for example my_shop_helper_bot.
3. BotFather replies with the token, which looks like 123456:ABC-DEF1234ghIkl-zyx57W2v1u123ew11. Anyone who has it controls your bot, so keep it out of your code and never share it. If it leaks, send /token to BotFather to get a new one.

Two more BotFather commands worth knowing: /setcommands adds the command list users see when they type /, and /setprivacy controls what the bot sees in groups. By default privacy mode is on, so in a group the bot only receives commands meant for it and replies to its own messages — unless you make it an admin.

Polling or webhooks?

A bot gets its messages from Telegram in one of two ways — never both at the same time:

Start with polling. It needs no domain, no certificate and no open port, and every library supports it. If a webhook was ever set on the token, call deleteWebhook first — polling does not work while a webhook is active.

Step 2a: A bot in Python (python-telegram-bot)

python-telegram-bot 22 needs Python 3.10 or newer. Install it with pip install python-telegram-bot and create bot.py:

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

async def start(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE) -> None:
    await update.message.reply_text("Hi! Send me a message and I will echo it.")

async def echo(update: Update, context: ContextTypes.DEFAULT_TYPE) -> None:
    await update.message.reply_text(update.message.text)

def main() -> None:
    application = Application.builder().token(os.environ["TELEGRAM_TOKEN"]).build()
    application.add_handler(CommandHandler("start", start))
    application.add_handler(MessageHandler(filters.TEXT & ~filters.COMMAND, echo))
    application.run_polling(allowed_updates=Update.ALL_TYPES)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

aiogram 3 is the other popular choice in Python, also on Python 3.10 or newer.

Step 2b: A bot in JavaScript (grammY)

grammY is the actively maintained Telegram framework for Node.js. Run npm install grammy and create bot.js:

const { Bot } = require("grammy");

const bot = new Bot(process.env.TELEGRAM_TOKEN);
bot.command("start", (ctx) => ctx.reply("Welcome! Up and running."));
bot.on("message:text", (ctx) => ctx.reply(ctx.message.text));

process.once("SIGINT", () => bot.stop());
process.once("SIGTERM", () => bot.stop());
bot.start();

Older tutorials use Telegraf, which has had no release since February 2024; for a new bot, grammY is the safer pick.

Telegram's limits and rules for bots

Limits from Telegram's bot FAQ:

• About one message per second in a single chat, 20 messages per minute in a group, and about 30 messages per second overall.
• Files: the bot can send up to 50 MB and download up to 20 MB.
• Only one copy of the bot may poll at a time. A second one gets Conflict: terminated by other getUpdates request — use a separate token for testing.

Rules: Telegram's terms for bot developers forbid spam and unsolicited messages and getting around rate limits. A bot needs a privacy policy (Telegram's standard one applies if you do not write your own) and must delete a user's data when asked. Automating a personal account instead of a bot — a so-called userbot — is a different thing entirely, and Telegram bans accounts used for flooding or spam.

Telegram bot hosting on HytHost

Our bot hosting plans run Telegram bots as well as Discord bots:

1. Pick a plan and the runtime — Python for python-telegram-bot or aiogram, Node.js for grammY. Choose Python 3.10 or newer, or a current Node.js, in the Startup tab.
2. Upload your code with the file manager or SFTP, together with requirements.txt or package.json.
3. Put the token in a .env file or an environment variable, not in the code.
4. Start it. With polling the bot needs no domain or open port; the panel restarts it if it crashes.

What our rules allow: bots built on the official Bot API with a BotFather token. Not allowed: userbots that automate a personal account, unsolicited mass messages, scraping users or groups, and bots that download and pass on media without the rights to it. A bot that breaks these rules is suspended.

Plans include a MySQL database and backups. Making a Discord bot as well? See how to make a Discord bot.