Telegram.Bot is a .NET client library for the Telegram Bot API that enables developers to build chatbots for the Telegram messaging platform using C#.
The library solves the problem of integrating with Telegram's bot infrastructure by providing a managed wrapper around the Bot API's HTTP interface. It abstracts away the complexity of direct API calls, allowing developers to work with strongly-typed C# objects and methods instead. The project is structured as a core package with optional extension packages for specialized functionality such as login widgets and passport verification.
Developers building Telegram bots in .NET should choose this library if they are working within the scope of the Bot API. The tool targets .NET Standard 2.0 and .NET 6 as minimum versions, with .NET 8 or later recommended. The README mentions an alternative, WTelegramClient, for cases where the Bot API proves too limited and a full Telegram Client API implementation is needed. The project includes comprehensive documentation, a quickstart guide, and example repositories to help new users get started.
The project maintains a test-driven approach with both unit tests and systems integration tests run before each release, and the test cases themselves serve as self-documenting examples of Bot API methods. The team operates transparently through public channels including a news channel, team organization page, and community chat group for questions and discussion.
