tg

telegram-cli

6,441

1,524

6,441

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Top Related Projects

td

6,953

Cross-platform library for building Telegram clients

24,740

Telegram for Android source

Quick Overview

vysheng/tg is a Telegram CLI (Command Line Interface) client written in C. It allows users to interact with Telegram's API directly from the command line, enabling scripting and automation of Telegram-related tasks.

Pros

Lightweight and efficient, consuming minimal system resources
Supports scripting and automation of Telegram actions
Provides direct access to Telegram's API without a graphical interface
Ideal for server-side applications and bots

Cons

Requires technical knowledge to set up and use effectively
Limited visual feedback compared to GUI clients
May require frequent updates to keep up with Telegram's API changes
Not suitable for users who prefer graphical interfaces

Getting Started

Clone the repository:

git clone --recursive https://github.com/vysheng/tg.git && cd tg

Install dependencies (for Debian-based systems):

sudo apt-get install libreadline-dev libconfig-dev libssl-dev lua5.2 liblua5.2-dev libevent-dev make

Configure and build:
```
./configure
make
```
Run the Telegram CLI:
```
bin/telegram-cli -k tg-server.pub
```
Follow the prompts to enter your phone number and authentication code.

Note: The project hasn't been updated recently, so you may need to check for compatibility with the current Telegram API version.

Competitor Comparisons

tdesktop

25,848

Telegram Desktop messaging app

Pros of tdesktop

Official Telegram desktop client with full feature support
Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux) with native look and feel
Regular updates and active development

Cons of tdesktop

Larger codebase and more complex architecture
Higher system requirements due to GUI and additional features

Code Comparison

tdesktop (C++):

void MainWindow::showSettings() {
    if (_settings) {
        _settings->showSettings();
    }
}

tg (C):

void do_show_settings (struct tgl_state *TLS) {
  print_start ();
  push_color (COLOR_YELLOW);
  print_user_info (TLS, TLS->our_id);
  pop_color ();
  print_end ();
}

Key Differences

tdesktop is a full-featured GUI application, while tg is a command-line interface
tdesktop uses C++ and Qt framework, tg is written in C
tdesktop offers a more user-friendly experience for non-technical users
tg is lightweight and suitable for systems with limited resources or terminal-only environments

Use Cases

tdesktop: Everyday desktop users, those who prefer a graphical interface
tg: System administrators, power users, those who prefer command-line tools or need to run Telegram on servers

td

6,953

Cross-platform library for building Telegram clients

Pros of td

Written in C++, offering better performance and cross-platform compatibility
Officially supported by Telegram, ensuring up-to-date features and security
Extensive documentation and active development community

Cons of td

Steeper learning curve due to C++ complexity
Larger codebase and potentially higher resource usage

Code Comparison

td (C++):

auto send_message = td_api::make_object<td_api::sendMessage>();
send_message->chat_id_ = chat_id;
send_message->input_message_content_ = td_api::make_object<td_api::inputMessageText>();
send_message->input_message_content_->as_input_message_text()->text_ = td_api::make_object<td_api::formattedText>();
send_message->input_message_content_->as_input_message_text()->text_->text_ = "Hello, World!";

tg (Lua):

send_msg(chat_id, "Hello, World!", false)

Summary

td offers a more robust, officially supported solution with better performance and cross-platform compatibility. However, it comes with a steeper learning curve and potentially higher resource usage. tg, on the other hand, provides a simpler API with Lua scripting, making it easier to use for quick prototyping or simpler applications. The choice between the two depends on the specific requirements of your project, such as performance needs, development complexity, and long-term support considerations.

24,740

Telegram for Android source

Pros of Telegram

More active development with frequent updates
Richer feature set, including voice calls and secret chats
Better UI/UX with a more modern, user-friendly interface

Cons of Telegram

Larger codebase, potentially more complex to maintain
Closed-source server-side code, limiting full transparency
Higher resource usage due to additional features

Code Comparison

tg (CLI-based):

void loop(void) {
  while (1) {
    if (verbosity >= 2) {
      logprintf ("Main loop\n");
    }
    net_loop (loop_timeout, term_ev);
    if (loop_timeout) {
      term_ev = 0;
    }
  }
}

Telegram (Android app):

@Override
protected void onResume() {
    super.onResume();
    ApplicationLoader.mainInterfacePaused = false;
    ConnectionsManager.getInstance(currentAccount).resume();
    if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= Build.VERSION_CODES.M) {
        checkPermissions();
    }
}

Summary

Telegram offers a more feature-rich, user-friendly experience with active development, while tg provides a lightweight, CLI-based alternative. Telegram's codebase is more complex but offers a polished mobile app experience, whereas tg focuses on simplicity and efficiency for command-line usage.

Telegram-iOS

5,898

Telegram-iOS

Pros of Telegram-iOS

Official iOS client, ensuring full compatibility with Telegram's features
Regular updates and maintenance by the Telegram team
Polished UI and native iOS experience

Cons of Telegram-iOS

Limited to iOS platform, not cross-platform like tg
Closed-source, limiting community contributions and customization
Larger codebase and potentially more complex than tg

Code Comparison

tg (CLI-based):

void loop (void) {
  while (1) {
    if (verbosity >= 2) {
      logprintf ("Main loop\n");
    }
    net_loop (0, 0);
    if (safe_quit && !pending_queries) {
      break;
    }
  }
}

Telegram-iOS (Swift-based):

override func viewDidLoad() {
    super.viewDidLoad()
    self.setupUI()
    self.configureNavigationBar()
    self.bindViewModel()
}

Summary

Telegram-iOS is the official iOS client, offering a polished native experience with regular updates. However, it's platform-specific and closed-source. tg, on the other hand, is a cross-platform CLI client that's open-source but may lack some of the refined UI features of Telegram-iOS. The code comparison highlights the difference in approach, with tg focusing on network operations and Telegram-iOS on UI setup.

webogram

7,949

Telegram web application, GPL v3

Pros of Webogram

Web-based client, accessible from any browser without installation
User-friendly interface with modern design
Supports multiple accounts and easy switching between them

Cons of Webogram

Limited functionality compared to native clients
Potentially slower performance, especially with large chats or media
Dependent on browser compatibility and web technologies

Code Comparison

Webogram (JavaScript)

function sendMessage(message) {
  return MtpApiManager.invokeApi('messages.sendMessage', {
    peer: peerID,
    message: message,
    random_id: [nextRandomInt(0xFFFFFFFF), nextRandomInt(0xFFFFFFFF)]
  });
}

tg (C)

void send_message (peer_id_t id, const char *text, int text_len, unsigned long long flags) {
  clear_packet ();
  out_int (CODE_messages_send_message);
  out_int (flags);
  out_peer_id (id);
  out_string (text, text_len);
  out_long (0);
  send_packet ();
}

Summary

Webogram offers a convenient web-based solution with a modern interface, while tg provides a more robust, native client with potentially better performance. Webogram is easier to access across devices, but tg may offer more advanced features and faster operation, especially for power users or those with large chat histories.

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README

Telegram messenger CLI

Command-line interface for Telegram. Uses readline interface.

API, Protocol documentation

Documentation for Telegram API is available here: http://core.telegram.org/api

Documentation for MTproto protocol is available here: http://core.telegram.org/mtproto

Upgrading to version 1.0

First of all, the binary is now in ./bin folder and is named telegram-cli. So be careful, not to use old binary.

Second, config folder is now ${HOME}/.telegram-cli

Third, database is not compatible with older versions, so you'll have to login again.

Fourth, in peer_name '#' are substitued to '@'. (Not applied to appending of '#%d' in case of two peers having same name).

Installation

Clone GitHub Repository

 git clone --recursive https://github.com/vysheng/tg.git && cd tg

Python Support

Python support is currently limited to Python 2.7 or Python 3.1+. Other versions may work but are not tested.

Linux and BSDs

Install libs: readline, openssl and (if you want to use config) libconfig, liblua, python and libjansson. If you do not want to use them pass options --disable-libconfig, --disable-liblua, --disable-python and --disable-json respectively.

On Ubuntu/Debian use:

 sudo apt-get install libreadline-dev libconfig-dev libssl-dev lua5.2 liblua5.2-dev libevent-dev libjansson-dev libpython-dev make

On gentoo:

 sudo emerge -av sys-libs/readline dev-libs/libconfig dev-libs/openssl dev-lang/lua dev-libs/libevent dev-libs/jansson dev-lang/python

On Fedora:

 sudo dnf install lua-devel openssl-devel libconfig-devel readline-devel libevent-devel libjansson-devel python-devel

On Archlinux:

 yaourt -S telegram-cli-git

On FreeBSD:

 pkg install libconfig libexecinfo lua52 python

On OpenBSD:

 pkg_add libconfig libexecinfo lua python

On openSUSE:

 sudo zypper in lua-devel libconfig-devel readline-devel libevent-devel libjansson-devel python-devel libopenssl-devel

Then,

 ./configure
 make

Other methods to install on linux

On Gentoo: use ebuild provided.

On Arch: https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/telegram-cli-git

Mac OS X

The client depends on readline library and libconfig, which are not included in OS X by default. You have to install these libraries manually.

If using Homebrew:

 brew install libconfig readline lua python libevent jansson
 export CFLAGS="-I/usr/local/include -I/usr/local/Cellar/readline/6.3.8/include"
 export LDFLAGS="-L/usr/local/lib -L/usr/local/Cellar/readline/6.3.8/lib"
 ./configure && make

Thanks to @jfontan for this solution.

If using MacPorts:

 sudo port install libconfig-hr
 sudo port install readline
 sudo port install lua51
 sudo port install python34
 sudo port install libevent
 export CFLAGS="-I/usr/local/include -I/opt/local/include -I/opt/local/include/lua-5.1"
 export LDFLAGS="-L/usr/local/lib -L/opt/local/lib -L/opt/local/lib/lua-5.1"
 ./configure && make

Install these ports:

devel/libconfig
devel/libexecinfo
lang/lua52

Then build:

 env CC=clang CFLAGS=-I/usr/local/include LDFLAGS=-L/usr/local/lib LUA=/usr/local/bin/lua52 LUA_INCLUDE=-I/usr/local/include/lua52 LUA_LIB=-llua-5.2 ./configure
 make

Other UNIX

If you manage to launch it on other UNIX, please let me know.

Contacts

If you would like to ask a question, you can write to my telegram or to the github (or both). To contact me via telegram, you should use import_card method with argument 000653bf:0738ca5d:5521fbac:29246815:a27d0cda

Usage

bin/telegram-cli -k <public-server-key>

By default, the public key is stored in tg-server.pub in the same folder or in /etc/telegram-cli/server.pub. If not, specify where to find it:

bin/telegram-cli -k tg-server.pub

Client support TAB completion and command history.

Peer refers to the name of the contact or dialog and can be accessed by TAB completion. For user contacts peer name is Name Lastname with all spaces changed to underscores. For chats it is it's title with all spaces changed to underscores For encrypted chats it is <ExÑlamation mark> Name Lastname with all spaces changed to underscores.

If two or more peers have same name, number is appended to the name. (for example A_B, A_B#1, A_B#2 and so on)

Supported commands

Messaging

msg <peer> Text - sends message to this peer
fwd <user> <msg-seqno> - forward message to user. You can see message numbers starting client with -N
chat_with_peer <peer> starts one on one chat session with this peer. /exit or /quit to end this mode.
add_contact <phone-number> <first-name> <last-name> - tries to add contact to contact-list by phone
rename_contact <user> <first-name> <last-name> - tries to rename contact. If you have another device it will be a fight
mark_read <peer> - mark read all received messages with peer
delete_msg <msg-seqno> - deletes message (not completly, though)
restore_msg <msg-seqno> - restores delete message. Impossible for secret chats. Only possible short time (one hour, I think) after deletion

Multimedia

send_photo <peer> <photo-file-name> - sends photo to peer
send_video <peer> <video-file-name> - sends video to peer
send_text <peer> <text-file-name> - sends text file as plain messages
load_photo/load_video/load_video_thumb/load_audio/load_document/load_document_thumb <msg-seqno> - loads photo/video/audio/document to download dir
view_photo/view_video/view_video_thumb/view_audio/view_document/view_document_thumb <msg-seqno> - loads photo/video to download dir and starts system default viewer
fwd_media <msg-seqno> send media in your message. Use this to prevent sharing info about author of media (though, it is possible to determine user_id from media itself, it is not possible get access_hash of this user)
set_profile_photo <photo-file-name> - sets userpic. Photo should be square, or server will cut biggest central square part

Group chat options

chat_info <chat> - prints info about chat
chat_add_user <chat> <user> - add user to chat
chat_del_user <chat> <user> - remove user from chat
rename_chat <chat> <new-name>
create_group_chat <chat topic> <user1> <user2> <user3> ... - creates a groupchat with users, use chat_add_user to add more users
chat_set_photo <chat> <photo-file-name> - sets group chat photo. Same limits as for profile photos.

Search

search <peer> pattern - searches pattern in messages with peer
global_search pattern - searches pattern in all messages

Secret chat

create_secret_chat <user> - creates secret chat with this user
visualize_key <secret_chat> - prints visualization of encryption key. You should compare it to your partner's one
set_ttl <secret_chat> <ttl> - sets ttl to secret chat. Though client does ignore it, client on other end can make use of it
accept_secret_chat <secret_chat> - manually accept secret chat (only useful when starting with -E key)

Stats and various info

user_info <user> - prints info about user
history <peer> [limit] - prints history (and marks it as read). Default limit = 40
dialog_list - prints info about your dialogs
contact_list - prints info about users in your contact list
suggested_contacts - print info about contacts, you have max common friends
stats - just for debugging
show_license - prints contents of GPLv2
help - prints this help
get_self - get our user info

Card

export_card - print your 'card' that anyone can later use to import your contact
import_card <card> - gets user by card. You can write messages to him after that.