Developer Guide: Bots & MiniApps
Build MPChat bots and MiniApps: quickstart, auth, errors, polling vs webhook, the full method matrix, MiniApp initData verification, MP differences, and a production checklist.
24 articles
- What is an MPChat bot? Capabilities, data flow, and limits
- Try a bot in 10 minutes (Windows PowerShell or iOS Shortcuts)
- Developer quickstart: getMe, getUpdates, sendMessage (curl + Node.js)
- What you can build with an MPChat bot: scenarios, patterns, and limits
- BotFather guide: about, description, description picture, and username rules
- Core concepts and terminology for MPChat bots
- Authentication and request model: base URL, token safety, ID rules, rate limits
- Response envelope and error codes: ok, result, description, and retry strategy
- Receiving updates: polling vs webhook (getUpdates, setWebhook, secret_token)
- Rich bot messages: link previews, entities, and mixed media
- Group info and admin actions a bot can take
- API method matrix: categories, risk levels, and DocOnly methods
- Core message methods in detail: getMe, getUpdates, sendMessage (reply_markup)
- Chat menu button: setChatMenuButton (commands, web_app, default)
- Reply Keyboard: send, switch, one-time hide, and remove
- Inline keyboard buttons: url, web_app, callback_data, and copy_text
- Callback buttons and in-place message updates (answerCallbackQuery)