Typescript Telegram Bot API

This node.js module wraps the official Telegram Bot API up to the version 5.5 (December 7, 2021). To use Telegram Bot API, a bot token is required and can be obtained by talking to @botfather.

Why use this module instead of others?

• It consists of only one file to be copied in your project without dependencies. This file contains only a class with a simple method to make HTTPS requests. The rest of the code in the file is simply a translation of the official Telegram Bot API using typescript types. You can easily review and trust the code incresing the security of your application.

• It is completely written in Typescript and contains the definitions and comments of all official methods and structures useful for type checking. Your editor can suggest you errors, name and the official documentation for each member and parameter.

• It can be used without or with a little abstraction. This allows you to finely control your bot without being limited by this module.

• All requests return a Promise, simplifying the asynchronous procedures.

How to install

Copy the src/api.ts file in your project. Import the TelegramBot class and all the interfaces you need from it. If you want you can copy also the file src/emitter.ts which contains the class TelegramBotEmitter that can help you to setup an event loop.

How to use

You should use one of the following objects:

• TelegramBot (only official methods)
• TelegramBotEmitter (official methods + emitting an event for each new update)

TelegramBot

The class TelegramBot is initialized using the bot token obtained from the @botfather. It contains all the official methods without any abstraction. All methods accept the same parameters specified in the Telegram Bot API and return a Promise with the result specified in the official documentation.

import { TelegramBot } from './src'

// Replace the value below with the Telegram token you receive from @BotFather
const token = '<BOT-TOKEN>';

// Create an object that manages the Telegram bot and receives the updates.
const bot = new TelegramBot(token);

// Send the message to a specific chat
let promise = bot.sendMessage({ chat_id: '<A chat id>', text: 'Hello world!' });

Emitter

The class TelegramBotEmitter simplifies the management of updates. The object is an EventEmitter so it is possible to add all the listners you want. The events emitted have the same names of the update types specified in the Update object: message, edited_message, channel_post, ...

It contains a member api that is the raw TelegramBot object discussed above.

import { TelegramBotEmitter } from './emitter'

// Replace the value below with the Telegram token you receive from @BotFather
const token = '<BOT-TOKEN>';

// Create an object that manages the Telegram bot and receives the updates.
const bot = new TelegramBotEmitter(token);

// Listen for message events. The list of possible events is specified 
// here (https://core.telegram.org/bots/api#update)
bot.on('message', async msg => {

   // Send a message to the chat acknowledging receipt of their message
   let result = await bot.api.sendMessage ({ chat_id: msg.chat.id, text: 'Hi!' });

   // Write the server response to the terminal
   console.log (result);
});