How to Get Your Telegram Bot Token and Chat ID: A Beginner’s Guide

Telegram is a powerful platform for creating bots and automating tasks. If you want to build a Telegram bot or integrate Telegram notifications into your applications, the first step is to get your Telegram bot token and chat ID. This guide walks you through the process, step by step.

What is a Telegram Bot Token and Chat ID?

• Bot Token: A unique authentication key provided by Telegram that allows your bot to connect to Telegram’s API.
• Chat ID: A unique identifier for a user or group that tells your bot where to send messages.

Step 1: Create a Telegram Bot and Get the Bot Token

1. Open Telegram and Search for BotFather
   • Open the Telegram app or website.
   • In the search bar, type BotFather and select the verified account with a blue checkmark.
2. Start a Chat with BotFather
   • Click the Start button or type /start. BotFather will reply with a list of commands to manage bots.
3. Create a New Bot
   • Type /newbot and send the message.
   • BotFather will ask for a name for your bot. Choose a descriptive name, such as MyNotificationBot.
4. Set a Username for Your Bot
   • After providing the bot’s name, you’ll need to set a unique username ending with bot. For example: MyNotificationBot_123.
5. Receive Your Bot Token
   • Once the bot is created, BotFather will send a confirmation message containing your bot token.Save this token securely; you’ll need it to connect your bot to Telegram’s API.
   Example token:

1234567890:ABCDefGhIjKLmNopQRstUvWXyZ123456789

Step 2: Get Your Telegram Chat ID

Now that you have your bot token, you need your chat ID to send messages to yourself or a group.

Find Your Chat ID for Personal Use

• Start Your Bot
  • Go to your bot’s profile (click the link BotFather provided) and press the Start button.
• Send a Message to Your Bot
  • Type any message, such as “Hello, bot!”
• Use Telegram’s API to Fetch Your Chat ID
  • Open your browser and paste the following URL, replacing <BOT_TOKEN> with your actual bot token:

https://api.telegram.org/bot<BOT_TOKEN>/getUpdates

Example

https://api.telegram.org/bot1234567890:ABCDefGhIjKLmNopQRstUvWXyZ123456789/getUpdates

• Check the Response
  • The browser will display a JSON response containing your chat ID. Look for the "id" field inside the "message" section. It will look like this:

{
  "ok": true,
  "result": [
    {
      "update_id": 123456789,
      "message": {
        "message_id": 1,
        "from": {
          "id": 987654321,
          "is_bot": false,
          "first_name": "YourName",
          "username": "YourUsername",
          "language_code": "en"
        },
        "chat": {
          "id": 987654321,
          "first_name": "YourName",
          "username": "YourUsername",
          "type": "private"
        },
        "date": 1672531200,
        "text": "Hello, bot!"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Find Your Chat ID for a Group or Channel

1. Add Your Bot to the Group or Channel
   • Invite your bot to the group or channel where you want to send messages.
2. Promote Your Bot (For Channels)
   • If it’s a channel, promote your bot to an admin with permission to post messages.
3. Send a Message in the Group/Channel
   • Send any message to the group or channel where your bot is added.
4. Use Telegram’s API to Fetch the Group/Channel Chat ID
   • Repeat the same steps as above by using the getUpdates API endpoint.
   • Look for the "chat" section in the JSON response. For groups or channels, the chat ID will have a negative sign for groups (e.g., -987654321).

Step 3: Test Your Bot

Once you have your bot token and chat ID, you can test sending a message using Telegram’s API.

1. Use the sendMessage API

• Open your browser and paste the following URL, replacing <BOT_TOKEN> and <CHAT_ID> with your bot token and chat ID:

https://api.telegram.org/bot<BOT_TOKEN>/sendMessage?chat_id=<CHAT_ID>&text=Hello%20World

Example:

https://api.telegram.org/bot1234567890:ABCDefGhIjKLmNopQRstUvWXyZ123456789/sendMessage?chat_id=987654321&text=Hello%20World

2. Check Your Telegram

• You should receive a message from your bot saying “Hello World.”

Conclusion

Congratulations! You now know how to get your Telegram bot token and chat ID. With these, you can integrate Telegram into your projects and send notifications, alerts, or updates.

Here’s a quick recap:

1. Use BotFather to create a bot and get the bot token.
2. Use Telegram’s API to retrieve your chat ID.
3. Test your bot by sending a message using the sendMessage endpoint.

If you’re building a Telegram bot for notifications or automation, this guide is your first step to success. Enjoy coding and exploring the endless possibilities with Telegram bots!