# Telegram Core

> Developer documentation for the Telegram platform: the Bot API (HTTP interface for bots), Mini Apps, and the lower-level Telegram API (MTProto) used by full clients and TDLib.

Almost every page has a Markdown version at the same URL with a `.md` suffix. Prefer the `.md` pages: the HTML pages are large and are truncated by most fetch tools. Pages without a Markdown version return 404 for the `.md` URL.

## Bot API

- [Bot API reference index](https://core.telegram.org/bots/api.md): how to make requests, get updates, and one line per method with a link to its page; read this first to find the page you need
- [Method pages](https://core.telegram.org/bots/api/methods/sendmessage.md): one page per method at `/bots/api/methods/<method-name-in-lowercase>.md`, e.g. `sendmessage.md`, `editmessagetext.md`
- [Type index](https://core.telegram.org/bots/api/types.md): one line per type with a link to its page
- [Type pages](https://core.telegram.org/bots/api/types/message.md): one page per type at `/bots/api/types/<type-name-in-lowercase>.md`, e.g. `message.md`, `messageentity.md`
- [Formatting options](https://core.telegram.org/bots/api/formatting.md): MarkdownV2, HTML and Markdown parse modes and message entities
- [Rich messages](https://core.telegram.org/bots/api/rich-messages.md): rich message methods, types, limits and formatting rules
- [Bot API changelog](https://core.telegram.org/bots/api-changelog.md): all versions with the methods and fields each one added or changed; use it to check whether a feature exists in a given version

## Bots: guides

- [Introduction to bots](https://core.telegram.org/bots.md): what bots are, how they are created and what they can do
- [Bot features](https://core.telegram.org/bots/features.md): BotFather, commands, inline mode, keyboards, payments, privacy mode, and other platform features in detail
- [Tutorial](https://core.telegram.org/bots/tutorial.md): from BotFather to a working bot, with code
- [Serverless](https://core.telegram.org/bots/serverless.md): hosting bot and Mini App backends on Telegram: projects and modules, the database, the SDK and the CLI
- [Bot FAQ](https://core.telegram.org/bots/faq.md): common questions about limits, updates and behaviour
- [Mini Apps](https://core.telegram.org/bots/webapps.md): JavaScript apps launched inside Telegram; the `Telegram.WebApp` client API, launch methods, theming and authorization
- [Payments](https://core.telegram.org/bots/payments.md): accepting payments through bots, invoices, providers and Telegram Stars
- [Inline bots](https://core.telegram.org/bots/inline.md): bots that work in any chat via @username queries
- [Games](https://core.telegram.org/bots/games.md): HTML5 games launched from bots
- [Sample code](https://core.telegram.org/bots/samples.md): example bots and libraries by language

## Telegram API (MTProto)

- [Telegram API overview](https://core.telegram.org/api.md): the API used by official and third-party clients, organized by feature, with links to one guide per feature under `/api/`
- [Method index](https://core.telegram.org/methods.md): all MTProto methods grouped by feature, one line each (about 160 KB)
- [Method pages](https://core.telegram.org/method/messages.sendMessage.md): one page per method at `/method/<namespace.methodName>.md`, e.g. `messages.sendMessage.md`
- [Constructor pages](https://core.telegram.org/constructor/message.md): one page per constructor at `/constructor/<name>.md`, e.g. `message.md`, `inputPeerUser.md`
- [Type pages](https://core.telegram.org/type/Update.md): one page per type at `/type/<Name>.md`, listing its constructors
- [MTProto](https://core.telegram.org/mtproto.md): the transport protocol, authorization and encryption
- [TL language](https://core.telegram.org/mtproto/TL.md): the Type Language used to describe the schema
- [TL schema](https://core.telegram.org/schema): the full current schema; HTML only and about 700 KB, so prefer the method and constructor pages
- [TDLib](https://core.telegram.org/tdlib.md): the cross-platform client library that implements the Telegram API

## Optional

- [Gateway API](https://core.telegram.org/gateway.md): sending verification codes via Telegram
- [Widgets](https://core.telegram.org/widgets.md): login, share and post widgets for websites
- [Themes](https://core.telegram.org/themes.md): theme file formats for Telegram apps
- [API layers](https://core.telegram.org/api/layers.md): schema changes per layer; very large (about 830 KB), read with offsets