# Telegram Channel Scraper - No API Key Needed (`zhorex/telegram-channel-scraper`) Actor Scrape public Telegram channels without API keys or proxies. Extract messages, views, reactions, media URLs, and channel metadata. Perfect for crypto research, brand monitoring, OSINT, and competitive intelligence. - **URL**: https://apify.com/zhorex/telegram-channel-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Sami](https://apify.com/zhorex) (community) - **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation, News - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $5.00 / 1,000 message scrapeds 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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## 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 - No API Key Needed [![Apify Actor](https://img.shields.io/badge/Apify-Actor-blue?logo=apify)](https://apify.com/zhorex/telegram-channel-scraper) Extract messages, views, reactions, and media from any public Telegram channel — **no API key, no proxy, no browser needed**. This actor uses Telegram's public web preview endpoint (`t.me/s/`) to extract data using lightweight HTTP requests. No headless browser, no Telegram Bot API token, no proxy required. Fast, reliable, and cost-effective. ### Key Features - **No API key required** — works with Telegram's public web endpoint - **No proxy needed** — the endpoint is publicly accessible - **No browser** — pure HTTP requests, runs on minimal 256MB RAM - **Full message data** — text, views, dates, authors, forwards, replies - **Media extraction** — photos, videos, stickers, GIFs, documents, voice messages - **Reactions support** — extract emoji reactions with counts - **Channel metadata** — title, description, avatar, subscriber count - **Date filtering** — extract messages within a specific date range - **Multi-channel** — scrape multiple channels in a single run - **Flexible input** — accepts full URLs, short URLs, or just channel names ### Use Cases - **Crypto & DeFi Research** — Monitor signal channels, track project announcements, analyze sentiment across crypto Telegram groups - **Brand Monitoring** — Track mentions of your brand across public Telegram communities and news channels - **OSINT & Intelligence** — Research public channels for investigative analysis and threat intelligence - **Content Aggregation** — Collect and organize content from multiple channels for newsletters or dashboards - **Academic Research** — Analyze public discourse patterns, information spread, and community dynamics - **Competitive Intelligence** — Monitor competitor announcements, product launches, and community engagement ### Input Example ```json { "channelUrls": [ "https://t.me/s/durov", "t.me/techcrunch", "coindesk" ], "maxMessages": 50, "includeMedia": true, "startDate": "2026-01-01", "endDate": "2026-04-09" } ```` #### Input Parameters | Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | |-----------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | `channelUrls` | array of strings | Yes | — | Telegram channel URLs or names | | `maxMessages` | integer | No | 100 | Max messages to extract per channel | | `includeMedia` | boolean | No | true | Extract media URLs (photos, videos) | | `startDate` | string | No | — | Only messages after this date (ISO format) | | `endDate` | string | No | — | Only messages before this date (ISO format) | ### Output Example Each message is stored as an individual item in the Apify dataset: ```json { "channel_name": "durov", "channel_title": "Durov's Channel", "message_id": 350, "date": "2026-04-05T18:30:00+00:00", "text": "Today we're launching a new feature that will change how people communicate...", "views": "2.1M", "views_numeric": 2100000, "link": "https://t.me/durov/350", "author": null, "forwarded_from": null, "reply_to_message_id": null, "media_type": "photo", "media_url": "https://cdn4.telegram-cdn.org/file/...", "reactions": [ {"emoji": "\ud83d\udc4d", "count": 42000}, {"emoji": "\u2764\ufe0f", "count": 15000} ], "scraped_at": "2026-04-09T15:00:00+00:00" } ``` ### Pricing This actor uses **Pay Per Event** pricing. You are charged **$0.005 per message extracted**. | Messages | Cost | |----------|------| | 100 | $0.50 | | 500 | $2.50 | | 1,000 | $5.00 | | 10,000 | $50.00 | Platform costs (compute and storage) are billed separately by Apify at standard rates. This actor is optimized to run on minimal resources (256MB RAM). ### FAQ #### Does this require a Telegram API key? **No.** This actor uses Telegram's public web preview at `t.me/s/` which requires no authentication. You don't need to create a Telegram app, get an API key, or provide any credentials. #### Can it scrape private channels or groups? **No.** This actor can only scrape **public channels** that have a web preview enabled. Private channels, groups, and channels that have disabled their web preview are not accessible. #### Does it need proxies? **No.** The Telegram web preview endpoint is publicly accessible and doesn't require proxies. The actor includes respectful rate limiting (1-2 second delays between requests) to avoid being blocked. #### What's the rate limit? The actor makes requests with a 1-2 second delay between them to be respectful of Telegram's servers. If rate-limited (HTTP 429), it automatically retries with exponential backoff. For most channels, you can extract 100 messages in under 30 seconds. #### What formats can I export the data in? Apify supports exporting datasets in **JSON**, **CSV**, **Excel (XLSX)**, and **XML** formats. You can also access the data via the Apify API, integrate with Google Sheets, or connect to 2,000+ apps via webhooks and integrations. ### Other Scrapers by Zhorex Check out our other data extraction tools on Apify: - [RedNote Xiaohongshu Scraper All-in-One](https://apify.com/zhorex/rednote-xiaohongshu-scraper) — Extract posts, comments, and user profiles from Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) - [Domain Authority & SEO Checker](https://apify.com/zhorex/domain-authority-checker) — Check domain authority, page authority, spam score, and backlink metrics - [Phone Number Validator](https://apify.com/zhorex/phone-number-validator) — Validate and format phone numbers with carrier and location data ### Legal Disclaimer This actor only accesses publicly available data through Telegram's public web preview (`t.me/s/`). No authentication is bypassed, no private data is accessed, and no terms of service are violated. Users are responsible for ensuring their use of extracted data complies with applicable laws and Telegram's Terms of Service. *** Built with \u2764\ufe0f by [Zhorex](https://apify.com/zhorex) # Actor input Schema ## `channelUrls` (type: `array`): List of public Telegram channels to scrape. Accepts full URLs (https://t.me/s/channelname, https://t.me/channelname), short URLs (t.me/channelname), or just the channel name (channelname). ## `maxMessages` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of messages to extract from each channel. Set to 0 for unlimited (not recommended for large channels). ## `includeMedia` (type: `boolean`): Extract URLs of photos, videos, stickers, and other media attached to messages. ## `startDate` (type: `string`): Only extract messages posted on or after this date. ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2026-01-01 or 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z). ## `endDate` (type: `string`): Only extract messages posted on or before this date. ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2026-12-31 or 2026-12-31T23:59:59Z). ## Actor input object example ```json { "channelUrls": [ "https://t.me/s/durov" ], "maxMessages": 100, "includeMedia": true } ``` # 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 = { "channelUrls": [ "https://t.me/s/durov" ] }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("zhorex/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 = { "channelUrls": ["https://t.me/s/durov"] } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("zhorex/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 '{ "channelUrls": [ "https://t.me/s/durov" ] }' | apify call zhorex/telegram-channel-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=zhorex/telegram-channel-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Telegram Channel Scraper - No API Key Needed", "description": "Scrape public Telegram channels without API keys or proxies. Extract messages, views, reactions, media URLs, and channel metadata. Perfect for crypto research, brand monitoring, OSINT, and competitive intelligence.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "XjRanozOOGiakHZEr" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/zhorex~telegram-channel-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-zhorex-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/zhorex~telegram-channel-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-zhorex-telegram-channel-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/zhorex~telegram-channel-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-zhorex-telegram-channel-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": [ "channelUrls" ], "properties": { "channelUrls": { "title": "Channel URLs or names", "type": "array", "description": "List of public Telegram channels to scrape. Accepts full URLs (https://t.me/s/channelname, https://t.me/channelname), short URLs (t.me/channelname), or just the channel name (channelname).", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxMessages": { "title": "Max messages per channel", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 10000, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of messages to extract from each channel. Set to 0 for unlimited (not recommended for large channels).", "default": 100 }, "includeMedia": { "title": "Include media URLs", "type": "boolean", "description": "Extract URLs of photos, videos, stickers, and other media attached to messages.", "default": true }, "startDate": { "title": "Start date (optional)", "type": "string", "description": "Only extract messages posted on or after this date. ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2026-01-01 or 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z)." }, "endDate": { "title": "End date (optional)", "type": "string", "description": "Only extract messages posted on or before this date. ISO 8601 format (e.g., 2026-12-31 or 2026-12-31T23:59:59Z)." } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```