Deploy a Telegram bot (Python or Node.js)

Telegram bot hosting runs your bot's code continuously on our infrastructure using the same panel as our other bot and game hosting plans.

1. Get a bot token from BotFather

Message @BotFather on Telegram, run /newbot, and follow the prompts. BotFather gives you a token like 123456789:AAH... — this is what your code uses to authenticate, and it's the only thing anyone needs to fully control your bot.

2. Upload your code

Open the Files tab and upload your project, or upload a .zip and use Extract. Make sure requirements.txt (Python) or package.json (Node.js) is included so dependencies install correctly on first start.

3. Set the startup file and token

In Startup, set the entry file (e.g. bot.py or index.js). Put the bot token in an environment variable rather than hardcoding it in a file you might ever commit to a public repository.

4. Start and watch the console

Press Start. The first boot installs dependencies, which can take a minute. Send your bot a message on Telegram and confirm it responds — the console will show incoming updates if your code logs them.

Polling vs webhooks

Most small-to-medium bots use long polling (the library repeatedly asks Telegram for updates) — this just works once the process is running, no extra setup. Webhooks (Telegram pushes updates to a URL you host) need a public HTTPS endpoint and are only worth the extra complexity at high message volume.

Troubleshooting

• "Unauthorized" error: the token is wrong or was regenerated in BotFather — get the current one with /token.
• Bot doesn't respond: check the console for an unhandled exception; one bad update can crash a naive polling loop if errors aren't caught.
• Conflict: terminated by other getUpdates request: you have two instances polling with the same token — stop any old copy running elsewhere.

Related: Deploy a Discord bot, Our trading-bot tiers explained on the blog.