How to host a Telegram bot 24/7 for free

Why use the official Telegram API

Unlike other platforms, Telegram offers an official, free bot API — with no risk of violating the terms of service (ToS) for automation. This makes Telegram one of the most worry-free environments to host bots: you create, host, and keep it online without fear of bans for using the API as intended.

1. Create your bot in BotFather

On Telegram, search for @BotFather (the official creation bot).
Send the /newbot command.
Choose a name and a username (which must end in bot).
BotFather will hand you a token — keep it safe.

2. Protect your token

The token is your bot's access key. Never expose it:

Don't push the token to GitHub.
Store it in an environment variable (e.g., TELEGRAM_TOKEN).
If it leaks, use /revoke in BotFather to generate a new one.

3. Prepare your project

Pick a library for the language you prefer:

Node.js: node-telegram-bot-api or telegraf.
Python: python-telegram-bot or aiogram.

Minimal example with telegraf (Node.js):

const { Telegraf } = require('telegraf');
const bot = new Telegraf(process.env.TELEGRAM_TOKEN);

bot.start((ctx) => ctx.reply('Bot online on Square Cloud!'));
bot.launch();

4. Webhook or polling?

Polling: the bot asks Telegram if there's anything new. Simpler to set up — great to start.
Webhook: Telegram sends updates to a public URL of your bot. More efficient for large bots.

For most cases, start with polling.

5. Deploy and keep it 24/7

Create the squarecloud.app file with your application's info.
Set the TELEGRAM_TOKEN environment variable.
Send the project via the Dashboard or the CLI.
Done: Square Cloud keeps your bot online 24 hours a day.

Keeping your bot resilient

Bots that run all the time need to handle errors and reconnections well. For stability best practices, see How to keep bots online 24/7. If you're starting from scratch, also check out What is deploy? How to put your application online.

Updated on: 06/13/2026

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