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To upload a local file from PHP, send an HTTPS multipart/form-data request to Telegram’s sendPhoto method for a photo or sendDocument for a general file. Include the destination chat_id, attach the file under the method’s matching field name, then decode Telegram’s JSON response and check ok.
Choose the Telegram method for the file
| Use case | Method and file field | Supported input | Important constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Send a photo as a photo | sendPhoto; field photo |
New multipart upload, existing Telegram file_id, or an HTTP URL Telegram can fetch |
Maximum 10 MB; width plus height must be no more than 10,000, and width-to-height ratio no more than 20. Telegram Bot API: sendPhoto |
| Send a general file | sendDocument; field document |
New multipart upload, existing Telegram file_id, or an HTTP URL Telegram can fetch |
Bots can currently send general files up to 50 MB; Telegram notes that this limit may change. Telegram Bot API: sendDocument |
| Download a file already on Telegram | getFile |
A Telegram file_id |
The Bots FAQ states that downloads through getFile work for files up to 20 MB. This is a download limit, not the send limit. Telegram Bots FAQ: How do I download files? |
For ordinary parameters, Telegram accepts JSON, but JSON does not upload file bytes. A new local file must be attached using multipart/form-data over HTTPS. Telegram Bot API: making requests
How do I upload a photo or file from PHP?
The Bot API defines the HTTPS request and multipart field names, not a particular PHP library or syntax. The following example uses PHP’s cURL extension to implement that HTTP contract. Replace the example paths and destination with your own values; send a photo through sendPhoto or a general file through sendDocument.
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$token = getenv('TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN');
$chatId = 'YOUR_CHAT_ID';
$path = '/absolute/path/to/file.jpg';
$method = 'sendPhoto'; // Or 'sendDocument'
$field = 'photo'; // Or 'document'
if (!$token || !is_file($path) || !is_readable($path)) {
throw new RuntimeException('Check the bot token and readable file path.');
}
$url = "https://api.telegram.org/bot{$token}/{$method}";
$postFields = [
'chat_id' => $chatId,
$field => new CURLFile($path),
];
$curl = curl_init($url);
curl_setopt_array($curl, [
CURLOPT_POST => true,
CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => $postFields,
CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
]);
$response = curl_exec($curl);
$curlError = curl_error($curl);
$status = curl_getinfo($curl, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
curl_close($curl);
if ($response === false) {
throw new RuntimeException("HTTP request failed: {$curlError}");
}
$result = json_decode($response, true);
if (!is_array($result)) {
throw new RuntimeException("Telegram returned invalid JSON (HTTP {$status}).");
}
if (($result['ok'] ?? false) !== true) {
$code = $result['error_code'] ?? 'unknown';
$description = $result['description'] ?? 'No error description returned';
throw new RuntimeException("Telegram API error {$code}: {$description}");
}
// The sent message is available in $result['result'].
Set the method and field as a pair
- For a photo, set
$methodtosendPhotoand$fieldtophoto. - For another file type, set
$methodtosendDocumentand$fieldtodocument.
When posting a PHP CURLFile, let cURL generate the multipart content type and boundary. Do not manually replace the multipart request with a JSON body, which cannot carry the file bytes.
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Keep the bot token private
The token is part of the Bot API request URL. Load it from an environment variable or another private configuration source rather than committing it to public code, and avoid logging the full URL or token.
What should the response handling check?
Telegram returns a JSON response with an ok field. A successful response includes the sent message in result; a failure includes an error_code and a human-readable description. Check ok before treating the send as successful, and surface the description when diagnosing a failure. Telegram cautions that the contents of error_code may change, so do not make brittle logic depend on a fixed set of numeric codes. Telegram Bot API: making requests
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- If PHP cannot open the file, check that the path is correct and the process has read permission.
- If Telegram returns an API error, inspect the returned description and confirm the method, field name, chat ID, and file constraints.
- If the request itself fails before a JSON response arrives, inspect the cURL error; this points to a transport or local request problem rather than a Telegram JSON error.
Can I resend a file without uploading it again?
Yes. When Telegram returns a message containing the uploaded media, save its file_id and supply that value as the photo or document input on a later send. Telegram recommends using a file_id for a file already stored on its servers, and its Bots FAQ says file IDs can be treated as persistent. Telegram Bot API: sending files Telegram Bots FAQ: Can I count on file_ids to be persistent?
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Why does getFile have a different limit?
Sending and downloading are different Bot API operations with different documented ceilings. Telegram’s current documentation says bots can send general files up to 50 MB, while its Bots FAQ states that getFile downloads work for files up to 20 MB. A file’s being eligible for sending does not establish that it can also be downloaded through getFile at the same size. Telegram Bot API: sendDocument Telegram Bots FAQ: How do I download files?
Telegram’s limits are live documentation and may change. The photo limits are specific to sendPhoto; the 50 MB figure is the current general sending limit stated for bots, and the 20 MB figure applies to getFile downloads.
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