I’ve been working with Telegram bots for a while now and I’m trying to decide which API version to stick with for my projects. I started with the older version but recently tried the newer one and I’m honestly confused about which one is better.
The first version seems more straightforward but the second one has some interesting features. I’m curious about what other developers think about this. Which version do you guys prefer and why?
Has anyone switched from the older API to the newer one? Was it worth the migration effort? I’d love to hear about your real world experience with both versions.
I switched from gen 1 to gen 2 about six months back - it really depends what you’re doing with it. Gen 2’s webhook handling is way better and the inline keyboard stuff is solid, but heads up, the learning curve’s steeper than expected. The docs for newer features are still playing catch-up, which gave me some headaches during setup. Performance is noticeably better though - response times improved a lot, especially with multiple requests running at once. Took me two weeks to migrate a moderately complex bot, mainly because I had to redo all the user session handling. If your current bot’s working fine and you’re not hitting walls, no rush to migrate. But if you’re building something new or need those enhanced features, definitely start with gen 2.
Had the same problem last year managing multiple Telegram bots across different projects. Skip the API version debate - automation is what you need.
The real problem isn’t which version’s better. It’s managing bot workflows, webhooks, and service integrations. I was wasting tons of time on boilerplate code and manual API calls.
Game changer was automated workflows that handle all bot logic without caring about API versions. Build flows that process messages, handle commands, connect to databases, and switch bot behaviors based on conditions.
Best part? No custom code for every interaction. Just drag and drop components to build your logic. I’ve got bots running customer support, data collection, and notifications - all through visual workflows.
Saved me weeks of dev time and made maintaining multiple bots way easier. Now I focus on actual functionality instead of debugging API calls.
I used to get stuck in these version debates until I realized I was solving the wrong problem.
It’s not about API versions - it’s about building bot logic that works reliably no matter which version you choose. I wasted tons of time writing custom handlers and wrestling with webhook management.
What changed everything? Moving to automated bot workflows. Instead of coding every message type and command, you build visual flows that handle the logic automatically.
Bot needs to process user inputs, check databases, send notifications, handle different conversation paths? Just connect components visually. The platform handles API calls, errors, and technical stuff behind the scenes.
I’ve got bots running customer onboarding, team notifications, and data collection. Zero custom API code. When Telegram updates their API, the automation platform handles compatibility - no refactoring needed.
Focus on what your bot actually does instead of picking API versions. Build it once with automation and it works with both versions anyway.
both have issues, but go with gen 2 if ur starting fresh. I migrated a few months back - there’s bugs but webhooks are way more reliable. Gen 1 kept randomly dropping connections which drove me nuts. Took about 3 days to switch, mainly updating message handlers. Definitely noticed better performance after.
I’ve been running production bots on both for eight months. Gen 2’s got better message parsing and error handling - way more control over responses and exceptions. But gen 1’s still more stable for high-volume stuff. Gen 2 gave me weird timeout issues with bulk messages that never happened before. Depends what you’re doing. Simple bots or low traffic? Go gen 2 for the features. Enterprise traffic or complex integrations? Stick with gen 1 until gen 2 gets more stable. Migration took about a week for my medium-complexity bot, but you’ll have to completely redo the auth flows.