Telethon
Python library for building Telegram clients and bots using the MTProto API.
- Stars
- 12.1k
- Forks
- 1.7k
- Licence
- MIT
- Language
- Python
- Last update
- 9 months ago
- Type
- Library
This repository is archived and no longer maintained.
What it is
Telethon is a Python 3 library that lets code talk to Telegram directly through its MTProto API, the protocol Telegram's own apps use. Developers use it to write user accounts' automation or bots that send and receive messages. The project is marked archived on GitHub, and the README provided here was empty, so details below are limited to the repository description and metadata.
- Write a Python script that sends messages from a Telegram account
- Build a bot that responds to incoming Telegram messages
Great for
- Python developers who want to script a Telegram user account
- Developers building Telegram bots in Python
- Projects that need direct MTProto access rather than the Bot API alone
Not ideal for
- People with no Python experience, since it is a code library rather than an app
- Projects needing a maintained dependency, because the repository is marked archived and may receive no updates
- Users who only want a ready-made Telegram client to install and use
How to get it
- 1
Install with a package manager
You'll need: Python 3
Install from PyPI
pip install telethon - 2
Run it
- Get API credentials from Telegram (the README was not available to confirm the exact process)
- Import the library in a Python script and connect with your credentials
- Run the script and check the result
- 3
Get the most out of it
- Read the documentation at https://docs.telethon.dev
- Check the repository's issues for known limitations before relying on it
Downloads
Strengths
- Written in pure Python 3, as its description states
- Supports both user accounts and bots, according to its description
- Released under the MIT license, which permits broad reuse
Trade-offs
- The repository is marked archived, so ongoing maintenance is unclear
- No release is listed, and the README was not available to confirm details
How it compares
| Project | Stars | Type | Level | Updated | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telethon (this) | 12.1k | Library | intermediate | 9 months ago | Python developers who want to script a Telegram user account |
| telegraf | 17.9k | App | intermediate | 4 days ago | Engineers setting up server or system monitoring |
| imgui | 76.9k | Library | intermediate | 6 days ago | Game developers who want an in-engine debug or tools panel |
| rich | 57.7k | Library | beginner | 5 months ago | Python developers who write command-line scripts and want clearer output |
| ccxt | 44.7k | Library | intermediate | 4 days ago | Developers building trading bots or algorithmic trading software |
| webview | 14.3k | Library | intermediate | 15 days ago | C or C++ developers who want an HTML-based GUI without bundling a full browser framework |
Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.