drumsergio/telegram-archive repository overview

⁠Telegram Archive

Telegram Archive backs up one or more Telegram accounts to a machine you host. It runs in Docker and saves messages, media, edits and deletions to SQLite or PostgreSQL on your own disk. A web viewer lets you read and search what it saved. The viewer never talks to Telegram.

⁠Features

• Scheduled incremental backups, with an optional real-time listener for new messages, edits and deletions.
• Each media file is saved once, even when several chats hold it. You can skip files by size or type.
• Keeps earlier versions of edited messages, and keeps deleted messages marked as deleted. The real-time listener or the scheduled edit and deletion sync records both.
• Several Telegram accounts in one archive.
• Imports from Telegram Desktop exports.
• A web viewer with search, forum topics, folders, a media gallery and seven themes.
• Extra viewer accounts, share links that open only chosen chats, and browser notifications for new messages.
• Optional voice transcription.
• SQLite by default, or PostgreSQL.
• Docker images for amd64 and arm64.

⁠Quick start

1. Get an api_id and api_hash for your account at my.telegram.org/apps⁠.

2. Get the files:

   git clone https://github.com/GeiserX/Telegram-Archive.git
   cd Telegram-Archive
   

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3. Copy the settings file:

   cp .env.example .env
   

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   Open .env and set these lines. The three viewer lines start commented out, so remove the # in front of them:

   TELEGRAM_API_ID=12345678
   TELEGRAM_API_HASH=0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
   TELEGRAM_PHONE=+15551234567
   VIEWER_USERNAME=admin
   VIEWER_PASSWORD=choose-a-long-password
   VIEWER_TIMEZONE=Europe/London
   

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4. Create the data directory. Both containers run as user ID 1000, so that user must own the directory:

   mkdir -p data && sudo chown -R 1000:1000 data
   

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5. Log in to Telegram:

   docker compose run --rm telegram-backup python -m telegram_archive auth
   

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   Telegram sends a login code, and the command asks for it. If the account uses two-step verification, the command also asks for that password. The password is visible as you type, so run this where nobody can see your screen. See Log in to Telegram⁠ if the login fails or must run without a terminal.

6. Start both containers:

   docker compose up -d
   

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7. Open http://127.0.0.1:8000⁠ and sign in with VIEWER_USERNAME and VIEWER_PASSWORD.

The first backup starts right away. Your first backup⁠ covers the schedule and what to check next.

The compose file pins both images to this release:

drumsergio/telegram-archive:8.17.0
drumsergio/telegram-archive-viewer:8.17.0

⁠Documentation

The full documentation is at geiserx.github.io/Telegram-Archive⁠.

• Run with Docker⁠
• Log in to Telegram⁠
• Your first backup⁠
• Install without Docker⁠
• Choosing chats⁠
• Using the viewer⁠
• Environment variables⁠
• Upgrading⁠
• Monitoring and troubleshooting⁠

Release notes are in the changelog⁠.

Open an issue⁠ for bugs and questions. The troubleshooting page⁠ says what to include. Report security problems through the security policy⁠, never in a public issue.

⁠License

GPL-3.0. See LICENSE⁠. Built on Telethon⁠.