Hey everyone! I’m working on adding streaming capabilities to my Telegram bot and could really use some guidance.
I want to broadcast live video and audio content to users through the bot interface. While I know Telegram can handle regular media files like videos and audio messages, I’m struggling to find good resources about actual live streaming through bots.
A few things I’m wondering about:
- Can the Bot API actually handle real-time streaming?
- What’s the best approach for coding this (I prefer Python but open to other options)?
- Do I need external streaming protocols or third-party services?
- What kind of technical limits should I expect for stream quality and length?
If anyone has tackled something similar or knows good tutorials, I’d love to hear about it. Thanks for any help!
The Telegram Bot API does not support real-time streaming; it primarily manages single media files. However, you can simulate a live effect by sending short video clips in succession, although there will be delays between them. For genuine live streaming, it’s advisable to redirect users to established platforms like YouTube Live or Twitch, allowing your bot to share those links. Alternatively, using a Telegram channel to provide updates during an actual stream hosted elsewhere can enhance interaction and ensure superior quality by leveraging dedicated streaming services.
yeah, I’ve been in the same boat. Using WebRTC is def a good move. Just keep in mind the server setup can be tricky, especially if you’re new. once you get that nginx-rtmp up, it’ll make life easier. streaming direct through the bot isn’t possible sadly.
Built something like this last year - Telegram’s Bot API doesn’t handle live streaming, so you’ve got to get creative. I used Node Media Server for RTMP and had the bot send screenshots or short clips as updates. Got about 10-15 second latency, which wasn’t great but worked fine for what I needed. I set up a subscription system where users could get notified when streams started, then the bot would send them a web link to watch the actual stream. Python’s telegram-bot library works well for the bot stuff, but you’ll need separate streaming infrastructure. Keep it at 720p or lower - saves on bandwidth and doesn’t kill your VPS processing.
This topic was automatically closed 4 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.