Optimizing PHP Telegram Bot for Faster Response Times

Other Questions Telegram bot
1

I’m working on a Telegram bot using PHP with webhooks. The bot takes about 1 second to respond, which seems slow. I think it’s because the curl connection isn’t reused after each PHP script execution.

My Java version using getUpdate every 5 seconds is much faster, responding in about 500ms. It keeps the connection open.

Is there a way to make my PHP bot as quick as the Java one? Can I keep the connection alive between PHP script runs?

Here’s a simplified version of my current PHP code:

function sendRequest($endpoint, $payload) {
    $apiUrl = 'https://api.telegram.org/bot' . $token . '/' . $endpoint;
    $ch = curl_init();
    curl_setopt_array($ch, [
        CURLOPT_URL => $apiUrl,
        CURLOPT_POST => true,
        CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode($payload),
        CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => ['Content-Type: application/json'],
        CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true
    ]);
    $response = curl_exec($ch);
    curl_close($ch);
    return json_decode($response, true);
}

The API server ping is around 200ms. Any ideas on how to speed things up? Thanks!

2

Have you considered using a PHP framework designed for asynchronous operations? Something like Swoole or ReactPHP could significantly boost your bot’s performance. These frameworks allow you to maintain persistent connections and handle multiple requests concurrently, which can drastically reduce response times.

Another approach worth exploring is caching. If your bot frequently sends similar responses, storing them in memory (using something like Redis) could cut down on processing time. You might also want to look into batching API requests if your bot needs to perform multiple operations.

Lastly, ensure your hosting environment is optimized for PHP. A well-configured server with opcache enabled and proper PHP-FPM settings can make a noticeable difference in script execution time. It might be worth reviewing your server configuration to squeeze out every bit of performance.

3

As someone who’s worked extensively with PHP Telegram bots, I can share a few strategies that have significantly improved response times in my projects.

One effective approach is to leverage a library like GuzzleHttp instead of using raw cURL. GuzzleHttp offers the advantage of persistent connections which can reduce the time spent establishing new connections for every request.

Another solution involves setting up connection pooling. Keeping pre-established connections ready to use can substantially cut down the overhead, much like what you observed in your Java implementation.

If you’re in control of your server environment, consider running your bot as a long-lived process with tools such as ReactPHP or Amp. This allows the process to handle multiple requests concurrently while keeping connections open.

Finally, optimizing the number of API calls by utilizing Telegram’s features, like sending multiple media items in one request, can make a noticeable difference in performance.

4

hey sofiag, have u tried using a PHP extension like pecl_http? it can keep connections alive between requests. also, maybe try enabling keep-alive in ur curl options:

curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TCP_KEEPALIVE, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TCP_KEEPIDLE, 120);

this might help reduce that latency ur seeing. good luck!