What is the TDLib
TDLib (Telegram Database Library) is a cross-platform library for creating Telegram clients—any application that connects to Telegram servers and provides users with access to core features like messaging, groups, channels, and media exchange. Developed by the Telegram team, TDLib allows developers to integrate Telegram’s core functionality into third-party products: displaying chats, sending messages, uploading media, handling notifications, and more.
Simply put, TDLib is the “engine” of Telegram that can be embedded into an external application. A developer gets access to all major features of the messenger but designs the interface independently—TDLib does not include any UI components; it only processes the data, while the frontend is built separately.
TDLib is written in C++ but can be used with almost any programming language thanks to available wrappers for Python, Java, Swift, .NET, and others. This makes it accessible to a wide range of developers. Current versions and setup instructions are available in the official documentation and on GitHub.
What Telegram Database Library can do
- Authorization via phone number, code, or QR
- Display of chats, messages, users, and attachments
- Sending and receiving text, photos, videos, files, and voice messages
- Support for channels, groups, and bots
- Caching data and offline operation
- Data protection with built-in on-device encryption.
Use cases for TDLib
- Building Telegram clients with custom interfaces
- Embedding Telegram chat into a website or app
- Integrating Telegram into CRM systems, dashboards, or support tools
- Creating internal messengers for teams
- Developing specialized Telegram-based solutions.
Advantages of Telegram Database Library
- Available for all major platforms: Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux, and servers
- High performance — capable of handling large volumes of data
- Flexible UI — interface is developed separately and can be fully customized
- Easy integration — TDLib is written in C++ but supports Python, Java, Swift, .NET, and more
- Convenient interaction format — all commands and responses are in JSON.
TDLib is continuously updated and supports all the latest Telegram features. It’s a reliable foundation for building Telegram-based products, whether for commercial, internal, or experimental use. To get started, check out the Getting Started Guide and use the TDLib build instructions generator for platform-specific setup steps.
