# Telegram Channel Scraper Goat (`goat255/telegram-channel-scraper`) Actor Scrape messages from public Telegram channels in bulk. Returns one clean row per message with id, date, text, views, media flags, media URLs, forwards, and links, plus an optional channel info summary. - **URL**: https://apify.com/goat255/telegram-channel-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Goutam Soni](https://apify.com/goat255) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, Automation - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing Pay per usage This Actor is paid per platform usage. The Actor is free to use, and you only pay for the Apify platform usage, which gets cheaper the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-usage ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. 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. Actors are written with capital "A". ## 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. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Telegram Channel Scraper Scrape messages from public Telegram channels in bulk. Give it a list of channel handles or links and it returns one clean row per message, newest first, with the text, date, view count, media flags, media URLs, forwards, and links. It can also return a short channel info summary (title, subscriber count, description, photo). No login. No API key. No cookies. Public channels only. ### What you get For every message: - `channel` and `messageId` - `url` (direct link to the message) - `datetime` (ISO 8601, with timezone) - `views` (parsed to a number) - `text` (cleaned, line breaks preserved) - `hasPhoto`, `hasVideo`, `hasDocument`, `hasVoice` flags - `photoUrls`, `videoUrls` (media URLs where the channel exposes them) - `forwardedFrom`, `forwardedFromUrl` (when the message is a forward) - `links` (outbound links found in the message text) When channel info is enabled, you also get one summary row per channel: - `title`, `subscribers`, `description`, `photoUrl` - `photoCount`, `videoCount`, `fileCount`, `linkCount` ### Input | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | `channels` | array | Channel handles or URLs. Accepts `example_channel`, `@example_channel`, or `https://t.me/example_channel`. | | `maxMessagesPerChannel` | integer | Cap on messages returned per channel, newest first. Default 50. | | `includeChannelInfo` | boolean | Also return a channel info summary row per channel. Default true. | | `concurrency` | integer | Channels processed in parallel. Default 4. | | `delayBetweenRequests` | number | Seconds to wait between page fetches inside one channel. Default 1.0. | | `proxyConfiguration` | object | Optional proxy. Works without a proxy by default. | #### Example input ```json { "channels": [ "example_channel", "@another_example", "https://t.me/one_more_example" ], "maxMessagesPerChannel": 100, "includeChannelInfo": true, "concurrency": 4 } ```` ### Example output row ```json { "channel": "example_channel", "messageId": 1234, "url": "https://t.me/example_channel/1234", "datetime": "2026-02-10T17:43:45+00:00", "views": 1740000, "text": "Big news today. Read the full post here.", "hasPhoto": false, "hasVideo": true, "hasDocument": false, "hasVoice": false, "photoUrls": [], "videoUrls": ["https://example.com/video.mp4"], "forwardedFrom": null, "forwardedFromUrl": null, "links": ["https://example.com/full-post"] } ``` ### Use cases - Track announcements and news from public channels. - Archive a channel's message history with dates and view counts. - Build a dataset of posts for analysis, alerting, or reporting. - Track channels in your space. ### Notes - Only public channels are supported. Private channels and ones that hide their message preview return no messages. - View counts and media availability depend on what the channel exposes publicly. - The scraper pages backwards through a channel's history until your limit is reached or the channel runs out of messages. # Actor input Schema ## `channels` (type: `array`): List of public Telegram channel handles or URLs. Mix formats freely: example\_channel, @example\_channel, https://t.me/example\_channel. ## `maxMessagesPerChannel` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of messages to return per channel, newest first. The scraper pages through older messages until this limit is reached or the channel runs out. ## `includeChannelInfo` (type: `boolean`): When true, also output one channel info summary row per channel with title, subscriber count, description, and photo. ## `concurrency` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of channels processed in parallel. ## `delayBetweenRequests` (type: `number`): Seconds to wait between page fetches inside a single channel pipeline. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy settings. The scraper works without a proxy by default; configure a proxy for large jobs or to spread load. ## Actor input object example ```json { "channels": [ "telegram", "durov" ], "maxMessagesPerChannel": 50, "includeChannelInfo": true, "concurrency": 4, "delayBetweenRequests": 1, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": false } } ``` # 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", "durov" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("goat255/telegram-channel-scraper").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", "durov", ] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("goat255/telegram-channel-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).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", "durov" ] }' | apify call goat255/telegram-channel-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=goat255/telegram-channel-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Telegram Channel Scraper Goat", "description": "Scrape messages from public Telegram channels in bulk. Returns one clean row per message with id, date, text, views, media flags, media URLs, forwards, and links, plus an optional channel info summary.", "version": "0.1", "x-build-id": "VWrjd2zFWalmk7MXB" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/goat255~telegram-channel-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-goat255-telegram-channel-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/goat255~telegram-channel-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-goat255-telegram-channel-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/goat255~telegram-channel-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-goat255-telegram-channel-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "channels" ], "properties": { "channels": { "title": "Telegram Channels or URLs", "type": "array", "description": "List of public Telegram channel handles or URLs. Mix formats freely: example_channel, @example_channel, https://t.me/example_channel.", "default": [ "telegram" ], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxMessagesPerChannel": { "title": "Max messages per channel", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 100000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of messages to return per channel, newest first. The scraper pages through older messages until this limit is reached or the channel runs out.", "default": 50 }, "includeChannelInfo": { "title": "Include channel info", "type": "boolean", "description": "When true, also output one channel info summary row per channel with title, subscriber count, description, and photo.", "default": true }, "concurrency": { "title": "Concurrency", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 20, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of channels processed in parallel.", "default": 4 }, "delayBetweenRequests": { "title": "Delay Between Requests (seconds)", "minimum": 0, "type": "number", "description": "Seconds to wait between page fetches inside a single channel pipeline.", "default": 1 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy settings. The scraper works without a proxy by default; configure a proxy for large jobs or to spread load.", "default": { "useApifyProxy": false } } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```