# Telegram Channel Scraper (`siftdata/telegram-channel-scraper`) Actor

Scrape posts from public Telegram channels: text, views, reactions, media, links and forwards. Monitor mode returns only new posts since the last run.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/siftdata/telegram-channel-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [siftdata](https://apify.com/siftdata) (community)
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $1.00 / 1,000 posts

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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 Channel Scraper

**Scrape posts from any public Telegram channel.** You get the text, views, reactions (including paid Stars), photos, videos, links, link previews, forwards and edit status as clean JSON, CSV or Excel. No Telegram account, phone number or API key is needed.

It includes a **monitor mode**: schedule the Actor and each run returns **only the posts published since the last run**. It suits alerts, news tracking, crypto signal monitoring and building datasets without duplicates.

### What can this Telegram scraper do?

- 📥 **Scrape many channels in one run**. Paste usernames, `@handles` or `t.me` links.
- 🔁 **Monitor mode (only new posts)**. The Actor remembers the last post it saw in each channel, so scheduled runs never return duplicates.
- 📅 **Date filter** to return only posts after a given date.
- 📊 **Engagement data**: views, every reaction with its count, total reactions and paid Telegram Stars.
- 🖼️ **Media**: photo URLs, video URLs, and a flag for media that Telegram only shows in the app.
- 🔗 **Links, hashtags and @mentions**, extracted for you, plus link preview cards (title, description, site).
- ↪️ **Forwards and replies**: which channel a post was forwarded from and which post it replies to.
- 📈 **Channel stats on every row**: channel title and subscriber count.
- ⚡ **Fast and low-cost**. It uses Telegram's public web preview, with no browser, so runs finish in seconds.

### What is it used for?

- **Crypto and trading signals.** Watch announcement and signal channels and send new posts to Slack, Discord, Sheets or your bot.
- **News and media monitoring.** Track news channels, press channels and competitors in real time.
- **Market and brand research.** Measure engagement (views and reactions) across channels over time.
- **Datasets for AI and RAG.** Collect channel history as clean text for analysis, classification or LLM pipelines.
- **OSINT and research.** Archive public posts from channels you follow.

### How to scrape a Telegram channel

1. Click **Try for free**.
2. Add one or more channels to **Channels**, for example `durov`, `@telegram` or `https://t.me/durov`.
3. Set **Max posts per channel** (for example `100`). Use `0` for the full history.
4. Click **Start**, then download the results as JSON, CSV, Excel or HTML, or fetch them through the API.

#### Monitor a channel for new posts

1. Turn on **Monitor mode: only new posts**.
2. Save the task and add a **schedule**, for example every 15 minutes or every hour.
3. Each run returns only new posts. Connect a webhook, Zapier, Make or n8n integration to forward them wherever you need.

Use a different **Monitor name** for each separate schedule, so each one tracks its own "last seen" position.

### Input example

```json
{
    "channels": ["durov", "https://t.me/telegram"],
    "maxPostsPerChannel": 100,
    "onlyNewPosts": false,
    "dateFrom": "2026-01-01"
}
```

### Output example

```json
{
    "channel": "durov",
    "channelTitle": "Pavel Durov",
    "channelSubscribers": 10600000,
    "postId": 548,
    "url": "https://t.me/durov/548",
    "date": "2026-09-11T16:04:02+00:00",
    "isEdited": false,
    "text": "🤝 Telegram has become the sponsor of Codeforces…",
    "views": 1580000,
    "reactions": [
        { "type": "paid_stars", "count": 13400 },
        { "type": "custom_emoji", "emoji": null, "emojiId": "5399847211989246390", "count": 27600 }
    ],
    "totalReactions": 56370,
    "paidStars": 13400,
    "links": ["https://codeforces.com/blog/entry/156620"],
    "hashtags": [],
    "mentions": [],
    "photos": [],
    "videos": [],
    "hasMediaNotShownInPreview": true,
    "forwardedFrom": null,
    "replyTo": null,
    "linkPreview": {
        "url": "https://codeforces.com/blog/entry/156620",
        "siteName": "Codeforces",
        "title": "Telegram Returns as Title Sponsor of Codeforces!",
        "description": "Hi, Codeforces!"
    },
    "author": "Pavel Durov",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-09-25T14:44:11.353Z"
}
```

Each run also saves a summary in the `OUTPUT` record of the key-value store: posts per channel, channel title, subscribers, and whether each channel was reachable.

### How much does it cost to scrape Telegram?

This Actor uses **pay-per-result pricing**. You pay a small fee per post returned and nothing for channels with no new posts, so monitor mode stays cheap. See the **Pricing** tab for the current price and plan discounts. Apify's free plan includes monthly credit, which is enough to try the Actor at no cost.

### Integrations and API

- **API**: start runs and fetch results from any language using the Apify API or the Python and JavaScript clients.
- **Schedules and webhooks**: run on a timer and push new posts to your own endpoint.
- **Zapier, Make, n8n, Google Sheets, Slack**: through Apify integrations.
- **AI agents (MCP)**: the Actor works through the Apify MCP server, so assistants like Claude or Cursor can fetch Telegram posts on demand.

### FAQ

**Do I need a Telegram account or API key?**
No. The Actor reads Telegram's public web preview (`t.me/s/…`). You don't need to log in or provide a phone number.

**Can it scrape private channels or groups?**
No. It only works with **public channels** that have web preview enabled. Private channels, groups and chats aren't supported. The run summary marks these as `not_public`.

**Why are some photos or videos missing?**
Telegram's web preview doesn't show some media (for example, some large videos or special formats). Those posts have `hasMediaNotShownInPreview: true` and a `url` you can open in Telegram.

**Why are view and subscriber counts rounded?**
Telegram shows large numbers in short form (for example `1.58M`). The Actor converts them to numbers, so they're accurate to the precision Telegram displays.

**How far back can it go?**
Set **Max posts per channel** to `0` to page through the full history that the web preview allows.

**How often can I run monitor mode?**
As often as you like. Every 5–15 minutes works well for fast-moving channels. For large numbers of channels at high frequency, turn on a proxy in the input.

**Is scraping Telegram legal?**
This Actor collects only publicly available posts from public channels. You're responsible for how you use the data, including compliance with GDPR and other privacy laws if posts contain personal data, and with Telegram's terms. Don't use it for spam or harassment.

**Something doesn't work?**
Open an issue in the **Issues** tab. We usually reply within a day and fix breakages fast.

# Actor input Schema

## `channels` (type: `array`):

Public Telegram channels to scrape. Accepts usernames (durov), @usernames or links (https://t.me/durov, https://t.me/s/durov). Private channels and groups are not supported.

## `maxPostsPerChannel` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of posts to return per channel, newest first. Use 0 for no limit (goes back to the first post).

## `onlyNewPosts` (type: `boolean`):

Return only posts published since the previous run of this monitor. Ideal for scheduled runs (for example every hour). The first run returns the latest posts up to the limit.

## `monitorName` (type: `string`):

Used with monitor mode to keep separate 'last seen' state for different schedules or projects. Only letters, numbers and dashes.

## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):

Skip posts older than this date. Format YYYY-MM-DD (UTC). Leave empty for no date limit.

## `includeTextHtml` (type: `boolean`):

Also return the post text as HTML (keeps bold, links and line breaks).

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxies are usually not needed for Telegram. Enable them if you scrape many channels at high frequency.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "channels": [
    "durov",
    "telegram"
  ],
  "maxPostsPerChannel": 20,
  "onlyNewPosts": false,
  "monitorName": "default",
  "includeTextHtml": false,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": false
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `posts` (type: `string`):

All scraped posts (JSON, CSV, Excel via the dataset).

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Posts per channel, channel titles, subscribers and status (ok / not\_public / error).

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "channels": [
        "durov",
        "telegram"
    ],
    "maxPostsPerChannel": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("siftdata/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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "channels": [
        "durov",
        "telegram",
    ],
    "maxPostsPerChannel": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("siftdata/telegram-channel-scraper").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": [
    "durov",
    "telegram"
  ],
  "maxPostsPerChannel": 20
}' |
apify call siftdata/telegram-channel-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,siftdata/telegram-channel-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

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 <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` 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/e62WD0UlsnraC15iS/builds/qZbLYMplcae8KUCby/openapi.json