Telegram Bot Webhook Integration in 7 Easy Simple Steps

In today’s competitive online world, no platform can operate as a single independent system. To perform a task, more than one entity is usually required. This is where Webhooks come in handy. Webhooks allow different applications and platforms to share data in the form of messages. This communication occurs in real-time and is accomplished through the use of a Webhook URL (Uniform Resource Locator).

Telegram Webhook Integration can be quite helpful to gain useful data from other third-party applications. Telegram is a Cloud-Based, Cross-Platform Instant Messaging (IM) service. This messaging service offers end-to-end encrypted Video Calling, VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol), File Sharing, and numerous other features.

This article will guide you through the process of setting up Telegram Webhooks Integration using 7 simple steps. It will provide you with a brief overview of Telegram and Webhook with their key features. You will also explore the key benefits of setting up Telegram Webhook Integration in further sections. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

• Prerequisites
• Introduction to Telegram
  • Key Features of Telegram
• Introduction to Webhooks
• Steps to Set Up Telegram Webhooks Integration using Bot API
  • Step 1: Obtain the Authorization Token
  • Step 2: Set Up your Google Spreadsheet
  • Step 3: Create a Loading Dock
  • Step 4: Store the Links in Variables
  • Step 5: Set Up the Webhook
  • Step 6: Set Up the Bot
  • Step 7: Set Up the POST Requests
• Key Benefits of Setting Up Telegram Webhooks Integration
• Conclusion

Prerequisites

• An active Telegram account.
• Working Knowledge of Webhooks.
• Working Knowledge of HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) Requests.

Introduction to Telegram

Telegram is one of the popular cross-platform messaging applications that is popular because of its powerful Privacy and Encryption features, as well as support for Large Group Chat features. It also has no affiliations to other social media platforms which may appeal to some users.

The security feature of Telegram sets it apart from other messaging applications. It claims that all of its operations, including conversations, groups, and shared material, are encrypted. Through its built-in ‘Secret Chat’, the app also allows you to set self-destruct timers on messages and material that you send, which can be set to a range from two seconds to one week. It also has end-to-end encryption, which means no data is stored on Telegram’s servers.

Key Features of Telegram

Telegram has gained wide acceptance in the market. Some of the key features of Telegram include:

• End-to-End Encryption: When you use the Secret Chat mode, your conversation is entirely encrypted, making it almost unbreakable. End-to-End encryption is also available in apps like WhatsApp and Signal.
• Self-Destructing Messages: Secret messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time, which makes them much safer. This is comparable to how Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger also provide this functionality.
• Large File Sizes: Telegram allows you to send files up to 2 GB in size. Telegram outperforms almost all other messaging applications in this category.

To know more about Telegram, visit this link.

Introduction to Webhooks

A Webhook (also known as a web callback or HTTP push API) is a tool that provides real-time data to other applications. Unlike traditional APIs (Application Programming Interface), you don’t have to poll for data to receive real-time data.

Webhooks have become significantly more efficient for both the provider and the consumer. You can also leverage Webhooks to set up an event on one website that triggers an action on another. This reduces the need for the subject to be constantly monitored. The only disadvantage of Webhooks is the complexity of putting them up at first.

To know more about Webhooks, visit this link.

Steps to Set Up Telegram Webhooks Integration using Bot API

Now that you have a basic grasp of both technologies let’s try to understand the procedure to set up Telegram Webhooks Integration using the BOT API. The Bot API is an HTTP-based interface designed for Developers who want to create Telegram Bots. Below are the steps you can follow to set up Telegram Webhooks Integration:

• Step 1: Obtain the Authorization Token
• Step 2: Set Up your Google Spreadsheet
• Step 3: Create a Loading Dock
• Step 4: Store the Links in Variables
• Step 5: Set Up the Webhook
• Step 6: Set Up the Bot
• Step 7: Set Up the POST Requests

Step 1: Obtain the Authorization Token

The first step in setting up Telegram Bot Webhook Integration is to obtain the Authorization Token. In non-commercial applications, you may need to directly request this from a Developer, but in Telegram, there is a very simple way to get these Authorization Tokens. You can follow these procedures to obtain your Authorization Tokens with ease:

• On Telegram, look for Botfather. /@botfather is his Twitter handle.
• Say hello to the Botfather (due respect) and send him your Bot name.
• Your authorization token will be delivered to you. The below image depicts the same.

Step 2: Set Up your Google Spreadsheet

After the first step is completed, you can set up your Google Spreadsheet by following the below-mentioned procedure:

• Pull up an empty Google Spreadsheet and proceed to Tools > Script Editor after you have received the token as shown below.

• This is the location where you will write the code.

Step 3: Create a Loading Dock

Now, to receive data from Telegram, you will need to create a Loading Dock using the Web App URL. This Web App URL can only be obtained after you publish the script. You can follow the below-mentioned steps to create your Loading Dock.

• In Google Spreadsheet’s Script Editor, click Publish.
• After you publish your work, the version should always be set to New. Also, the app should be accessible by your email, and anyone, including anonymous users, should be able to access it as shown below.

Step 4: Store the Links in Variables

Now, you need to store the Links in Variables. Let’s develop the Webhook that has an Authorization Token and a Loading Dock. All queries to the Telegram Bot API (Application Programming Interface) must be delivered in this format, according to the Telegram Bot API documentation as shown below:

https://api.telegram.org/bot<token>/METHOD NAME 

This link appears to be something you’ll require in your code on a regular basis.

Step 5: Set Up the Webhook

In this step, you will have to write a function to retrieve data from Telegram using the token you obtained from Botfather to set up Telegram Webhooks Integration as shown below.

function setWebhook() {
var url = telegramUrl + "/setWebhook?url=" + webAppUrl;
var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url);
}

This information should be delivered straight to the URL of your Web App. When you’re finished, copy and paste the code below and hit Publish. You may also be asked to authorize your own app to access your Google data when you publish or deploy your code as shown below.

Step 6: Set Up the Bot

Before your Bot can message someone, it needs to know two critical things:

1. What will it say to whom? So, you must provide it with a chat id.
2. What should it say, exactly? For this, you must deliver a message to it.

Let’s put these needs into our function as parameters. The code below can be copied and pasted to achieve this:

function sendMessage(chat_id, text) {
var url = telegramUrl + "/sendMessage?chat_id=" + chat_id + "&text="+ text;
var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url);
Logger.log(response.getContentText()); 
}

Step 7: Set Up the POST Requests

To set up the POST Requests, it should be noted that all the API requests must be provided through an HTTPS Request. Also, Telegram supports only GET and POST Requests.

The main thing to remember is that you must develop a function that can submit a POST request to Telegram in order to send a message to your bot every time a human interacts with it. The below code can be used to achieve this:

function doPost(e) {
var contents = JSON.parse(e.postData.contents);
var chat_id = contents.message.from.id; 
var text = "Beep boop bop, message received.";
sendMessage(chat_id,text)
}

With this, you have successfully set up your Telegram Webhooks Integration. It’s as simple as that.

Key Benefits of Setting Up Telegram Webhooks Integration

Telegram Webhooks Integration has numerous benefits. Some of the key benefits of setting up Telegram Webhooks Integration include:

• Telegram Webhooks Integration outperforms other tools like APIs in terms of performance. So, Telegram Webhooks Integration is an excellent choice if you need to update the server data often since they reduce needless API calls from the client to the server.
• Telegram Webhooks Integration is an ideal choice for embedded messages that are customized to your needs, as well as for automated messages. You may also generate your JSON (Javascript Object Notation) data to set up the Telegram Webhooks Integration if you are tech-savvy.
• Telegram Webhooks Integration provides high availability and is accessible from any mobile or desktop device. Moreover, it also allows you to receive timely notifications on your phone and laptops.

Conclusion

In this article, you learned how to set up Telegram Webhooks Integration. It also gave an overview of Telegram and Webhooks. You also learned about the key benefits of implementing this integration. You may now build your Telegram Webhooks Integration to gain access to third-party applications in your Telegram platform with ease.

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Share your experience of setting up Telegram Webhooks Integration in the comments section below!