What is needed? To get started, make sure you have:
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Telegram Account : If you don't have one, register now!
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Python : Download and install Python at python.org .
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Python-telegram-bot library : We will install it later.
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BotFather : Telegram's official tool for creating bots.
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Create a Bot in BotFather Open Telegram, look for an account named BotFather.
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Prepare Python Environment a. Install the Python-telegram-bot Library Open a terminal or command prompt, then run: pip install python-telegram-bot b. Create Python File : Create a new file, for example bot.py, for our bot code.
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Write Bot Code
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Run the Bot Run your Python file with the command: python bot.py If there are no errors, your bot is ready to use! Open Telegram, search for your bot, and try typing /start.
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Webhook Usage For large-scale bots, you can use webhooks as an alternative to polling. Here are the steps: a. Prepare Server : You need a server to host the bot, for example Heroku or AWS. b. Set up Webhook : Add the following code to your bot file: updater.start_webhook(listen='0.0.0.0', port=8443, url_path=TOKEN) updater.bot.setWebhook('https://yourserver.com/' + TOKEN) c. Use HTTPS : Make sure your server supports HTTPS so that the webhook can run properly.
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Best Practices for Telegram Bots a. Use Tokens Safely : Never publish your bot's API token. Use a file .envto store it. b. Add Logging : Add logging to monitor bot activity: import logging logging.basicConfig(format='%(asctime)s - %(message)s', level=logging.INFO) c. Optimize Performance : If the bot has many users, consider using webhooks instead of polling.