Why is my Telegram Bot's getUpdates method sluggish and returning incomplete JSON?

Other Questions Telegram bot
1

Hey folks, I’m having trouble with my Telegram Bot. I’ve got this simple PHP script to fetch updates:

<?php
$botToken = 'YOUR_BOT_TOKEN_HERE';
$response = file_get_contents("https://api.telegram.org/bot{$botToken}/getUpdates");
var_dump($response);
?>

But it’s super slow (takes about 20 seconds) and the JSON it returns looks chopped off. What gives?

When I use the API URL directly in my browser, it’s much faster and gives me complete results. I’m hosting this on a shared server. Could that be the issue?

Any ideas on how to speed this up and get the full JSON response? I’m scratching my head here!

2

From what you’ve described, it seems like you’re encountering a common issue with shared hosting environments. These setups often have restrictions that can impact API calls, leading to the sluggishness and incomplete responses you’re experiencing.

To address this, I’d recommend a few tweaks to your approach:

Consider switching to cURL instead of file_get_contents(). It offers more control over the request parameters.

Implement a timeout setting to prevent the script from hanging indefinitely.

If possible, look into upgrading your hosting to a VPS or dedicated server as this can significantly improve performance.

Ensure you’re properly handling update offsets to avoid processing duplicate messages.

Here’s a quick example of how you might implement these changes:

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, "https://api.telegram.org/bot{$botToken}/getUpdates");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, true);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 30);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

if ($response === false) {
    // Handle error
} else {
    $updates = json_decode($response, true);
    // Process updates
}

This approach should help mitigate the issues you’re facing. Let me know if you need any further clarification!

3

hey there! sounds like u might be hitting some limits on ur shared hosting. have u tried using curl instead of file_get_contents? it gives more control over timeouts n stuff. also, maybe check ur php.ini for any weird settings. if all else fails, a VPS could do wonders for speed. good luck!

4

I’ve dealt with similar issues before, and it sounds like you’re running into a few common pitfalls with Telegram bots. First off, the sluggishness could be due to your shared hosting setup. These environments often limit resources, which can really slow down API calls. I’d suggest looking into a VPS or dedicated hosting if possible.

As for the incomplete JSON, that’s likely a timeout issue. Try increasing the timeout limit in your PHP settings. You can do this by adding set_time_limit(60) at the top of your script.

Another thing to consider is using cURL instead of file_get_contents(). It gives you more control over the request and can handle timeouts better. Here’s a quick example:

$ch = curl_init();
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_URL, "https://api.telegram.org/bot{$botToken}/getUpdates");
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER, 1);
curl_setopt($ch, CURLOPT_TIMEOUT, 30);
$response = curl_exec($ch);
curl_close($ch);

This approach has worked wonders for me in the past. Give it a shot and let us know if it helps!