Python Telegram bot: How to authenticate users with their ID?

Other Questions Telegram bot
1

Hey folks! I’m having trouble with my Telegram bot in Python. I’m trying to set up user authentication using their IDs. Here’s what I’ve got:

allowed_users = ['987654321']

@bot.message_handler(commands=['verify'])
def verify_user(message):
    if str(message.from_user.id) in allowed_users:
        bot.reply_to(message, 'Access granted!')
    else:
        bot.reply_to(message, 'Sorry, you're not authorized.')

The weird thing is, even when I use my own ID (which is in the allowed_users list), I always get the ‘not authorized’ message. I’ve double-checked that message.from_user.id matches what’s in my list, but it’s still not working.

Am I missing something obvious here? Any ideas on what could be going wrong? Thanks in advance for your help!

2

Have you checked if your bot is actually receiving the correct user ID? I ran into a similar issue and found that the problem was on Telegram’s end. Try adding a print statement to log the received ID:

@bot.message_handler(commands=['verify'])
def verify_user(message):
    print(f'Received ID: {message.from_user.id}')
    if str(message.from_user.id) in allowed_users:
        bot.reply_to(message, 'Access granted!')
    else:
        bot.reply_to(message, 'Sorry, you're not authorized.')

This way, you can confirm if the ID matches what you expect. Also, ensure you’re testing with the correct Telegram account. Sometimes we accidentally use a different account or device, which can cause confusion. If the received ID is correct but authentication still fails, double-check the format in your allowed_users list. Hope this helps!

3

I’ve encountered similar authentication issues with Telegram bots before. One thing that often gets overlooked is the caching of user data. Telegram might be sending cached information, which could explain why you’re not getting the expected result.

Try clearing your bot’s cache or restarting it completely. Also, make sure you’re testing with the latest version of the Telegram app on your device.

Another potential issue could be related to how you’re handling the user ID. Instead of converting it to a string, try keeping it as an integer:

allowed_users = [987654321]  # Note: no quotes

@bot.message_handler(commands=['verify'])
def verify_user(message):
    if message.from_user.id in allowed_users:
        bot.reply_to(message, 'Access granted!')
    else:
        bot.reply_to(message, 'Sorry, you're not authorized.')

This approach eliminates any potential string conversion issues. If you’re still having problems after trying these solutions, you might want to look into using Telegram’s built-in user authentication methods, which can be more robust for handling user permissions.

4

yo dude, have u tried printing the user ID to see what’s actually coming through? sometimes telegram can be wonky with that stuff. also, make sure ur allowed_users list is set up right - like [987654321] without quotes. if that don’t work, maybe try a different auth method altogether. good luck!