Telegram Channels Scraper: Posts, Media, and Metadata

Extract Telegram channel name, bio, subscriber count, recent posts, views, reactions, and all media with direct download links. This actor scrapes structured content from public Telegram channels.

🌟 March 2026 Update: The scraper now supports QR Code Self-Authentication (no developer API credentials required!) and uses the Pay-Per-Event (PPE) monetization model.

Features

• ✅ No Credentials Required: Scrape public channels without a Telegram developer account. Authenticate by scanning a QR code!
• ✅ Session Persistence: Save your session string once to skip the QR login on all future runs.
• ✅ Pay-Per-Result Pricing: Stop paying flat monthly rentals. You only pay for what you actually scrape.
• ✅ Channel Info: Name, bio, and subscriber count.
• ✅ Post Data: Text, views, and reaction counts.
• ✅ Media Extraction: Direct CDN download links for images, videos, and documents.
• ✅ Developer-Friendly: Includes a built-in FastAPI server for real-time requests and support for Model Context Protocol (MCP) to integrate with AI agents.

Input Configuration

The actor accepts the following input fields:

Field	Type	Required	Description
channels	string	✅	Comma-separated list of channel usernames or links (e.g. @channel1, https://t.me/channel2).
limit	number	❌	Max number of posts to extract per channel (default: 10).
daysBack	number	❌	Number of days to look back from today (default: 7).
ap_opt_savedsession	string	❌	A pre-generated Telegram Session String format. Paste this in to skip the QR code login prompt entirely.
ap_password	string	❌	Your Two-Step Verification (2FA) password. Only required if your Telegram account has 2FA enabled.

🔐 Authentication (How to Login)

This Actor no longer requires you to manage TELEGRAM_API_ID or TELEGRAM_API_HASH environment variables.

On your first run (or when no ap_opt_savedsession is provided), the Actor will display an ASCII QR code directly in the Log tab:

1. Open Telegram on your mobile phone.
2. Go to Settings → Devices → Link Desktop Device.
3. Scan the QR code shown in the Apify run log.

Once scanned, the Actor logs your session string and automatically saves it to the Key-Value Store. Copy it and paste it into the Saved Session String (ap_opt_savedsession) input field. All subsequent runs will use this token and completely skip the QR code prompt.

(Note: The QR code automatically refreshes every 30 seconds if not scanned. The Actor will regenerate it up to 10 times.)

💰 Pay-Per-Event Pricing

This Actor uses Apify's Pay-Per-Event model. You are charged based on actual usage:

• actor-start: A tiny flat fee charged once per run to cover the Telegram cloud authentication and setup overhead.
• result-item: A micro-charge applied only when a scraped post is successfully pushed to your dataset.

Budget Protection: The Actor strictly respects your configured Max Charge limit. The moment your budget ceiling is reached, the Actor stops scraping immediately to ensure you are never billed for unpaid work.

Use Cases

• Crypto/Finance Traders: Monitor high-signal channels for instant sentiment shifts via reaction counts.
• AI Developers: Build massive, high-quality NLP datasets for LLM fine-tuning and Model Context Protocol (MCP) tool usage.
• News Aggregators: Automate your content pipeline with direct media links for republishing.
• Market Researchers: Monitor competitive/viral content trends and audience growth.

Output Structure

The results are stored in the default dataset and can be exported to JSON, CSV, Excel, XML, or HTML.

Example Output (JSON)

{
  "channel": "XYZ NEWS — Global Perspectives",
  "username": "xyznews",
  "bio": "An independent news outlet providing international breaking news and updates.",
  "subscribers": 120843,
  "channel_url": "https://t.me/xyznews",
  "post_id": 4501,
  "date": "2024-02-07T12:00:00+00:00",
  "text": "Discussions regarding tax policy and corporate residency continue in New York...",
  "views": 15400,
  "reactions": {
    "👍": 432,
    "❤️": 182,
    "😂": 123
  },
  "link": "https://t.me/xyznews/4501",
  "media_type": "text",
  "media_urls": []
}

FAQs

Is it legal to scrape Telegram?

Extracting publicly available factual data is generally considered legal. However, you should always respect Telegram's terms of service and ensure your use case complies with local regulations like GDPR or CCPA.

Do I need a Telegram account?

Yes, a Telegram account is required for authentication via the QR code. However, you do not need to register as a developer or manage API keys. Note: Never share your session string publicly.

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Support & Feedback

We are constantly improving this scraper. If you have feature requests, find a bug, or need a specific customization, please create an issue on the Actor’s Issues tab in Apify Console.