# Telegram Media Downloader: Channel Photos & Videos (`accountable_eel/telegram-media-downloader`) Actor Download photos, videos, GIFs and albums from a public Telegram channel or a Telegram post link, without login. Save Telegram channel videos to key-value storage, probed with ffprobe and hashed with SHA-256. Bulk download Telegram channel media by API, or run a channel media backup from n8n. - **URL**: https://apify.com/accountable_eel/telegram-media-downloader.md - **Developed by:** [Adriana Voss](https://apify.com/accountable_eel) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $3.04 / 1,000 stored media files This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md. ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run. For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below. Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`). # README ## Telegram Media Downloader: Channel Photos & Videos Download photos, videos, GIFs, and albums from public Telegram channels or individual post URLs directly into your run's key-value store. Every media file is hashed with SHA-256 while streaming, and videos and GIFs are probed with ffprobe for duration, resolution, frame rate, codec, and audio presence. Logged out, no Telegram account or bot token needed. ### Who it's for - **AI & ML researchers** compiling high-resolution image and video training sets from public Telegram channels with cryptographically verifiable checksums. - **Media monitors & OSINT analysts** archiving media from news, broadcast, and community channels without installing Telegram client apps or managing session tokens. - **Automation workflows (n8n, Make, Zapier)** requiring durable, direct MP4 and JPEG storage URLs rather than ephemeral CDN links. ### Why this one - **Flexible channel and post input**: Accepts usernames (`telegram`, `durov`), full channel URLs (`t.me/s/channel`, `t.me/channel`), and single post permalinks (`t.me/channel/123`). - **Complete media support**: Downloads channel photos, MP4 videos, animated GIFs, round video notes, and multi-item albums in original post sequence. - **Direct streaming with SHA-256**: Media files are piped directly to storage while calculating SHA-256 hashes on the fly to conserve memory. - **Deep ffprobe inspection**: Automatically extracts container resolution, duration, frame rate, video codec, and audio presence from stored media. - **Smart skipping**: Posts with undownloadable documents (`not-in-preview`) or oversized media (`too-big`) emit structured skip records at zero charge. - **Fair billing**: Pay only for successfully downloaded files and storage volume. Skips, misses, duplicates, and errors are strictly free. ### What you get Each downloaded media file produces one flat dataset row: | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | `channel` | text | Channel username | | `postId` / `postUrl` | text / link | Telegram message ID and canonical permalink | | `source` | text | Whether extracted from a `channel` feed or single `post` | | `kind` | text | File kind: `image`, `video`, `gif`, or `round-video` | | `albumIndex` | number | Zero-based index within an album, or null for single-item posts | | `kvKey` / `kvUrl` | text / link | Storage key and direct Apify key-value store record URL | | `originalMediaUrl` | link | Original Telegram CDN media source URL | | `bytes` | number | Total file size in bytes | | `sha256` | text | Hexadecimal SHA-256 checksum | | `width` / `height` | number | Pixel dimensions from ffprobe | | `duration_s` / `fps` | number | Duration in seconds and frame rate | | `codec` / `hasAudio` | text / boolean | Video codec and audio track presence | | `text` | text | Accompanying post caption or message text | | `views` | text | View count from the post preview (e.g. 44K, 1.5M) | | `postedAt` | date | Publication timestamp in ISO 8601 format | | `skipped` | text | Reason if skipped (`not-in-preview`, `too-big`, etc.) | | `error` | text | Error message if download failed (unbilled) | ### Scope and limits - **Public channels only**: Private invite-only channels, closed group chats, and direct messages require client login and are not supported. - **Document files in preview**: Telegram's web preview does not expose direct download endpoints for arbitrary documents or audio files; these posts are flagged as `skipped: "not-in-preview"` at zero charge. - **Oversized videos**: Videos exceeding Telegram's web preview limit show "Media is too big" and are marked as `skipped: "too-big"` with no charge. - **Per-file limit**: Configure `maxMb` (default 100 MB) to prevent unexpectedly massive files from exhausting your storage budget. ### Pricing - **Stored media file**: $4 per 1,000 files - **Media download bandwidth (MB)**: $5 per 1,000 files Plus a $0.005 start fee per run. Each event above is billed independently, only when it actually returns data — misses (`found:false`) are never charged. Billing is charged per stored file (`file` event) plus per megabyte stored (`megabyte` event). Skips, misses, duplicate files, and failed downloads are never billed. ### Example runs 1. **Download latest photos and videos from official Telegram channel** ```json {"channels": ["telegram"], "maxPostsPerChannel": 10, "kinds": "all"} ``` 2. **Download photos only from Pavel Durov's channel** ```json {"channels": ["durov"], "maxPostsPerChannel": 5, "kinds": "images"} ``` 3. **Download media from a specific post URL** ```json {"posts": ["https://t.me/telegram/441"], "kinds": "all"} ``` Use-case variant candidate: new media in a channel (since + delta) | webfinity/telegram-channel-content-media-scraper-v2 (1,007 users @ 468 runs per active user) and tri_angle/telegram-scraper (4,446 users @ 2,172 runs per active user) show heavy scheduled recurring runs for new channel media ### How to use 1. **In the Apify Console.** Open the actor page and click **Start** — the `channels` field is already pre-filled with a working example. Results land in the run's dataset as soon as each item is found. 2. **Via the API.** Call it directly with a POST request — no Console needed once you have an API token: ```bash curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~telegram-media-downloader/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=" \ -X POST \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"channels":["telegram"]}' ``` 3. **On a schedule.** Save this actor as an Apify **Task** with the input you want, then add a **Schedule** (hourly, daily, weekly) so it runs on its own — no server of your own required. ### Input ```json { "channels": [ "telegram" ] } ``` Public channel usernames (e.g. durov or telegram), t.me/, or t.me/s/ links, one per line. Channels are one of two ways in: use this field, or enter single post URLs in the field below. At least one of the two is needed. Accepted formats: telegram, durov, https://t.me/s/telegram. ### Sample output | query | found | status | channel | postId | postUrl | source | kind | albumIndex | kvKey | kvUrl | originalMediaUrl | bytes | sha256 | width | height | duration_s | fps | codec | hasAudio | text | views | postedAt | skipped | error | scrapedAt | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | telegram | true | OK | | | | | | | | | | \ | | | | \ | | | | | | | | | 1970-01-01T00:00:00.000Z | ### Related actors - [Telegram Channel Scraper: Subscriber Count, Bio & Stats](https://apify.com/accountable_eel/telegram-channel-lookup): channel subscriber count, bio and stats without downloading any media. ### Use it from Clay, n8n, Make, or an AI agent This actor runs synchronously over plain HTTP — call it directly from a script, a workflow tool, or an AI agent, no Apify Console needed once you have an API token. ```bash curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~telegram-media-downloader/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=" \ -X POST \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"channels":["telegram"]}' ``` **n8n.** Add an HTTP Request node: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~telegram-media-downloader/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=`, Body Content Type `JSON`, JSON Body `{"channels":["telegram"]}` (swap in an expression from an earlier node for a real value). **Clay.** Add an "HTTP API" column: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~telegram-media-downloader/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=`, Body `{"channels":["{{channel or post}}"]}`, mapping the row's channel or post into the `channels` array. **MCP.** In Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client with the Apify MCP server, ask for "Telegram Video Downloader: Channel Photos & Videos" — the agent will find and run this actor. # Actor input Schema ## `channels` (type: `array`): Public channel usernames (e.g. durov or telegram), t.me/, or t.me/s/ links, one per line. Channels are one of two ways in: use this field, or enter single post URLs in the field below. At least one of the two is needed. Accepted formats: telegram, durov, https://t.me/s/telegram. You're only charged for the ones we actually find — a miss costs nothing. ## `testRun` (type: `boolean`): Turn this on to test your input on a small sample before running the full list. Turn it off to process everything. ## `onlyFound` (type: `boolean`): Only keep rows where something was actually found. Misses are always free, whether or not you show them here. ## `includeKeywords` (type: `array`): Optional. Only keep results that mention at least one of these words (e.g. a job title, a city, a product name). Leave empty to keep everything. ## `excludeKeywords` (type: `array`): Optional. Drop any result that mentions one of these words. Leave empty to skip nothing. ## `maxResults` (type: `integer`): Optional. Stop the run once this many results have been found — useful for a quick, cheap sample. Leave blank for no limit. ## `posts` (type: `array`): Single Telegram post links or IDs, one per line, e.g. https://t.me/telegram/441 or durov/531. Downloads media for specific messages. ## `columns` (type: `array`): Choose which pieces of information to include in each result row. All are included by default. ## `expandRows` (type: `boolean`): When on, each file found gets its own row instead of being grouped under its channel or post. You're still only charged once per channel or post, no matter how many rows it produces. ## `maxPostsPerChannel` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of recent posts to inspect for media in each channel. 1-100, default 20. ## `kinds` (type: `string`): "All" downloads photos, videos, GIFs and round video notes. "Photos only" skips videos. "Videos only" skips photos. ## `since` (type: `string`): Optional ISO date or YYYY-MM-DD. Media from posts published before this date will be skipped. ## `maxMb` (type: `integer`): Aborts a single file download if it exceeds this size, so large videos cannot exhaust your budget. 1-300, default 100. ## `skipDuplicates` (type: `boolean`): Skips downloading and billing media files that have already been saved earlier in the same run. ## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`): Parallel requests. Keep conservative — this target has no browser fallback, so getting blocked costs more than slow-and-steady. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Apify Proxy config. Residential recommended for anti-bot-sensitive targets. ## Actor input object example ```json { "channels": [ "telegram" ], "testRun": false, "onlyFound": false, "includeKeywords": [], "excludeKeywords": [], "posts": [], "columns": [ "channel", "postId", "postUrl", "source", "kind", "albumIndex", "kvKey", "kvUrl", "originalMediaUrl", "bytes", "sha256", "width", "height", "duration_s", "fps", "codec", "hasAudio", "text", "views", "postedAt", "skipped", "error" ], "expandRows": true, "maxPostsPerChannel": 20, "kinds": "all", "since": "", "maxMb": 100, "skipDuplicates": true, "maxConcurrency": 2, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "channels": [ "telegram" ], "includeKeywords": [], "excludeKeywords": [], "posts": [] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("accountable_eel/telegram-media-downloader").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "channels": ["telegram"], "includeKeywords": [], "excludeKeywords": [], "posts": [], } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("accountable_eel/telegram-media-downloader").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}") for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "channels": [ "telegram" ], "includeKeywords": [], "excludeKeywords": [], "posts": [] }' | apify call accountable_eel/telegram-media-downloader --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "type": "http", "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,accountable_eel/telegram-media-downloader" } } } ``` The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer ` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations). ## OpenAPI specification Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/uXmQdHfhDKxZZaPkT/builds/qGGAZJiZht6KywapX/openapi.json