python-telegram-bot
We have made you a wrapper you can't refuse
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
Yes. The library is production-stable, actively maintained, widely used (top 1000 PyPI packages), has no known vulnerabilities, and low installation friction. The LGPL-3.0 copyleft license is standard for open-source bot frameworks and poses no barrier for most use cases. Install it if you need to build or integrate with Telegram bots in Python.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Requires Python 3.10 or later.
- You must obtain a Telegram Bot API token from BotFather on Telegram before running any bot.
- Low friction installation with only two runtime dependencies (httpx and httpcore).
License · maintenance · safety
LGPL-3.0-only (copyleft) — Licensed under LGPL-3.0-only (copyleft). You must disclose source code modifications and distribute under the same license if you distribute the library or derivative works.
last release 2026-06-12 (63 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-09 · 29,408 stars
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 43,016,646 downloads/mo, #650 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install python-telegram-bot
from telegram import Update
from telegram.ext import Application
app = Application.builder().token("YOUR_BOT_TOKEN").build()
await app.run_polling()- Whether the library's asynchronous design requires specific event loop or async runtime knowledge from users
- Performance characteristics and concurrency limits when handling high message volumes
- Specific version support for Telegram Bot API 10.0 and forward-compatibility guarantees
What it is and what it does
python-telegram-bot is a wrapper around the Telegram Bot API that lets you build chatbots in Python. It provides both a low-level API that mirrors Telegram's official interface and a higher-level framework (telegram.ext) with convenience methods, type hints, and classes that simplify common bot patterns. The library is fully asynchronous, meaning it can handle many concurrent operations efficiently.
The package depends on httpx for HTTP communication and supports optional features like webhook handling, job scheduling, rate limiting, and Telegram Passport through additional dependencies. It's compatible with Python 3.10 through 3.15 and has been actively maintained since 2015, with support for Telegram Bot API 10.0.
Use it for
- Build a chatbot that responds to user messages and commands in real time using the telegram.ext Application framework
- Integrate Telegram notifications into an existing application by sending messages to users via their bot
- Create a polling or webhook-based bot that processes updates from multiple Telegram chats concurrently
- Implement scheduled tasks (job queue) that send messages or perform actions at specific times
- Handle Telegram Passport authentication by installing the optional cryptography dependency
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
Yes.
The library is production-stable, actively maintained, widely used (top 1000 PyPI packages), has no known vulnerabilities, and low installation friction. The LGPL-3.0 copyleft license is standard for open-source bot frameworks and poses no barrier for most use cases. Install it if you need to build or integrate with Telegram bots in Python.
Install
python-telegram-bot on PyPI
Before you install
Low friction installation with only two runtime dependencies (httpx and httpcore). Actively maintained with recent releases; last commit on 2026-08-09 and 29408 repository stars indicate a mature, well-supported project.
Requires Python 3.10 or later. You must obtain a Telegram Bot API token from BotFather on Telegram before running any bot.
License in practice
Licensed under LGPL-3.0-only (copyleft). You must disclose source code modifications and distribute under the same license if you distribute the library or derivative works.
Quickstart
pip install python-telegram-bot
from telegram import Update
from telegram.ext import Application
app = Application.builder().token("YOUR_BOT_TOKEN").build()
await app.run_polling()
Verify before relying
- Whether the library's asynchronous design requires specific event loop or async runtime knowledge from users
- Performance characteristics and concurrency limits when handling high message volumes
- Specific version support for Telegram Bot API 10.0 and forward-compatibility guarantees
Package facts
| License | LGPL-3.0-only copyleft |
| Python support | Supports the current Python release >=3.10 |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 2 packageshttpcorehttpx |
| Maintenance | Actively maintained 63 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 43,016,646 / month, #650 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
| Classifiers | Development Status :: 5 - Production/StableIntended Audience :: DevelopersLicense :: OSI Approved :: GNU Lesser General Public License v3 (LGPLv3)Operating System :: OS IndependentProgramming Language :: PythonProgramming Language :: Python :: 3Programming Language :: Python :: 3.10Programming Language :: Python :: 3.11Programming Language :: Python :: 3.12Programming Language :: Python :: 3.13Programming Language :: Python :: 3.14Programming Language :: Python :: 3.15Topic :: Communications :: ChatTopic :: InternetTopic :: Software Development :: Libraries :: Python Modules |
Evidence: python_telegram_bot-22.8-py3-none-any.whl
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