How to obtain image URLs in a Telegram bot?

Other Questions Telegram bot
1

I’m working on a Telegram bot and I’m wondering about handling images. When someone sends a picture to the bot, is there a way to get the URL of that image directly? Or do I have to save the image files myself and then use those?

I’ve been looking through the Telegram Bot API docs but I’m not sure if there’s a straightforward method for this. It would be really helpful if I could just work with image URLs instead of dealing with file storage.

Has anyone figured out a good way to handle this in their Telegram bots? Any tips or code examples would be great. Thanks!

2

I’ve actually implemented this in a Telegram bot I built recently. When a user sends an image, Telegram doesn’t provide a direct public URL, but it does give you a file_id. You can use this file_id to get a temporary download URL.

Here’s the basic process:

  1. When you receive a message with a photo, extract the file_id from the largest size available.
  2. Use the getFile method with this file_id to get file info, including a file_path.
  3. Construct a URL using the file_path and your bot token.

The resulting URL will look like:
https://api.telegram.org/file/bot<YOUR_BOT_TOKEN>/<file_path>

This URL is temporary (usually valid for at least an hour) but it allows you to work with the image without storing it yourself. Just remember to refresh it if you need long-term access.

Hope this helps with your bot development!

3

hey there! i’ve dealt with this before. telegram doesn’t give direct urls, but you can get a temp one. when someone sends a pic, grab the file_id. use getFile to get file info, then make a url like this:

https://api.telegram.org/file/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/<file_path>

it works for a few hours. hope that helps!

4

In my experience working with Telegram bots, obtaining image URLs isn’t as straightforward as one might hope. While Telegram doesn’t provide direct public URLs for images, there’s a workaround using the file_id system. When a user sends an image, you’ll receive a file_id. You can then use Telegram’s getFile method to obtain a file_path. Combine this file_path with your bot token to create a temporary download URL. The URL structure is:
https://api.telegram.org/file/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/<file_path>
This URL is valid for a limited time, usually a few hours. It’s sufficient for most bot operations, but if you need permanent access, you’ll need to implement your own storage solution. Remember to handle potential errors, as the file might become unavailable after some time.