Send Alerts via Telegram

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Telegram Bot

1. Create a Telegram Bot using the @BotFather. Detailed instructions can be found here, however you can simply message the Telegram user @BotFather and send them the command message /newbot. Then follow the instructions the bot replies with.
2. As the last step of creating your new bot, the BotFather should reply with a message congratulating you that everything is complete and include a new HTTP API Token for you to use. Alternatively, if you want to reuse an existing Telegram bot you can message the BotFather with the command message /token and they will generate a new token. Make sure to copy this token value out as we’ll be using it in the Checkly setup later.
3. Start your new Telegram bot by opening a chat with it. You can use the START button in the UI or type the /start command message.

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Chat ID

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ID Bot

1. Send the @get_id_bot bot the /my_id command. Copy the ID from its reply.

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API Query

1. Add your bot to the target chat or group. If you want alerts in a specific forum topic, send the bot a command from that topic.
2. In a browser, open https://api.telegram.org/bot<API_TOKEN>/getUpdates, replacing <API_TOKEN> with your bot’s API token.
3. Find the message in the result array and copy these values:
   • message.chat.id: the Chat ID
   • message.message_thread_id: the optional Message Thread ID for the forum topic
   The relevant fields look like this:
   Telegram update

   {
     "message": {
       "message_thread_id": 42,
       "chat": {
         "id": -1001234567890,
         "type": "supergroup",
         "is_forum": true
       }
     }
   }
   

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Checkly Integration

1. Log in to Checkly and navigate to Alert Settings. Click the “Add more channels” button, find Telegram on the list, and click “Add channel”.
2. Give the alert channel a name and paste the API Token and Chat ID into the dedicated fields. To send alerts to a specific forum topic, also paste its topic ID into Message Thread ID. You can then choose which alerts you want to receive and which checks or check groups should trigger this channel.
   Note that we provide a preconfigured message payload, but you may want to edit the payload to modify the Telegram alert message contents. Such as by adding more variables or changing existing variables. Click the “Edit payload” button and reference the “Help & variables” tab.

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Alternatives

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Telegram Best Practices

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Group vs Direct Messages

• Direct Messages: Use your personal chat ID for personal notifications
• Group Chats: Add the bot to group chats and use the group’s Chat ID for team notifications
• Forum Topics: Use the group’s Chat ID together with the topic’s Message Thread ID
• Channels: Bots can post to channels if added as administrators

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Message Formatting

*Check {{CHECK_NAME}} has failed*

Location: {{RUN_LOCATION}}
Response Time: {{RESPONSE_TIME}}ms
Started: {{STARTED_AT}}

Error: {{CHECK_ERROR_MESSAGE}}

[View Details]({{RESULT_LINK}})

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Security Considerations

• Bot Token Security: Keep your bot tokens secure and never share them publicly
• Chat ID Privacy: Chat IDs can be sensitive information, especially for private groups
• Bot Permissions: Only give your bot the minimum necessary permissions in group chats