Telegram bots

Create a bot and protect its token

Create a bot through Telegram’s verified @BotFather account and copy its token. Add TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN to the application’s Deplexo environment variables. Use the exact variable name expected by the starter.

The token grants control of the bot. Never commit it, paste it into public issues, or log request URLs that contain it. If exposed, revoke or regenerate it through BotFather and redeploy with the replacement.

• Go Telegram template
• Telegram bot setup

Run long polling as a worker

A polling bot connects outward to Telegram and waits for updates. It does not need a public HTTP endpoint or a custom domain. The gotgbot polling starter uses a worker service and runs until it receives a termination signal.

Keep one active polling consumer per token. Stop the local development process before deploying the same bot, and remove any existing Telegram webhook before switching that token to polling. A webhook and getUpdates polling cannot be used simultaneously.

version: 1
type: worker
build:
  framework: dockerfile
  dockerfile: Dockerfile

• gotgbot documentation and examples

Verify a real conversation

After deployment, check runtime logs for successful startup. Open the bot in Telegram and send /start, or the command documented by the starter. Verify its response rather than relying only on the application’s running status.

Authentication failures usually indicate a wrong or revoked token. A getUpdates conflict often means another process or a configured webhook is consuming updates. Group message visibility also depends on Telegram’s privacy settings and the bot’s permissions.

• Runtime logs
• Telegram Bot API

Handle restarts and stored state

Stop polling on termination and allow in-flight handlers to finish. Make sure retrying a handler will not duplicate changes to external data. Network reconnects and application restarts are normal events for a long-running bot.

In-memory state disappears on restart. Store important user settings or job state in an external database or a file in the persistent mount. If using SQLite, keep the database and journal files on the writable mount and maintain backups.

• Persistent storage
• Deployment lifecycle

When to use a webhook

A Telegram webhook bot is an HTTP service with a reachable HTTPS endpoint. It needs request validation, including Telegram’s webhook secret header when configured, and prompt responses to avoid unnecessary retries.

Changing only the service type does not turn a polling starter into a webhook bot. The application must implement a webhook handler and register its URL with Telegram. Test the handler before switching the deployed bot to webhooks.

Check the bot in Telegram

With type: worker, Deplexo checks that the bot stays running and honors any image health check. It does not publish a port or assign an application URL. Omit run.port and verify a command in your Telegram test chat, then check the runtime logs.

Place this YAML at the source root before creating the app. Existing web apps cannot be converted by changing YAML; create a worker app and stop the old bot before starting the replacement. See the configuration reference.