iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
Choose serverless when your bot can receive updates through a webhook and you want infrastructure that runs only when Telegram calls it. Choose a VPS when long polling, a continuously running process, local files, or predictable always-on control matters more. Telegram supports both models, but a bot must use either webhooks or long polling at a time—not both.
This guide explains the delivery mechanics, hosting requirements, setup steps, security controls, operating costs, migration procedure, and failure modes so you can make the choice on engineering fit rather than on vague claims about speed or savings.
The short answer
Your hosting decision follows the way your bot receives updates:
| Question | Serverless function | VPS or always-on container |
|---|---|---|
| How updates arrive | Webhook: Telegram pushes each update to an HTTPS endpoint. | Usually long polling: your process calls getUpdates and waits. A VPS can also receive webhooks. |
| Public URL required? | Yes. The function must be reachable by Telegram over HTTPS. | No for long polling; yes if you elect to run a webhook. |
| Idle behavior | Function can stop between requests. | Process and host remain running. |
| Best fit | Bursty traffic, small stateless handlers, teams that prefer managed deployment. | Persistent workers, local state, scheduled jobs, custom networking, or simple long-polling operations. |
| Main operational concern | Provider-specific invocation, execution-time, networking, and observability limits. | Operating-system updates, process supervision, TLS (for webhooks), firewalling, and monitoring. |
There is no verified general rule that one option is cheaper or faster. Cost depends on invocation volume, execution time, bandwidth, storage, and the VPS plan; response time depends on your function region, startup behavior, network path, and handler work.
#1 Best Overall
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 with 2.4Ghz 64-bit quad-core CPU (8GB RAM)
- Includes 128GB Micro SD Card pre-loaded with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS, USB MicroSD Card Reader
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Raspberry Pi 5
- CanaKit Low Noise Bearing System Fan
- Mega Heat Sink - Black Anodized
How Telegram delivers bot updates
Webhook delivery
With a webhook, Telegram sends an update to the URL you register whenever a new update is generated. Your handler receives an HTTPS request, validates it, performs the bot work, and returns an HTTP response. Telegram documents webhook behavior in its Bot API documentation at core.telegram.org/bots/api.
The endpoint must be publicly reachable. Telegram accepts port 443 by default, or ports 80, 88, and 8443 when that port is included in the URL. A private address, localhost URL, or endpoint protected by an interactive login cannot receive Telegram’s delivery.
Long polling
With long polling, your bot calls getUpdates. Telegram holds the request open until updates are available or the requested wait period ends; the client then repeats the call. Because the connection is outbound from your host, long polling needs no inbound port and no public domain. That absence of an inbound requirement is a consequence of the mechanism, not a separate hosting guarantee.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe official Bots FAQ explains that updates cannot be fetched with long polling while a webhook is configured. The two modes are mutually exclusive; selecting one requires disabling the other. See Telegram’s Bots FAQ.
Why the distinction determines hosting
Serverless functions naturally match a push request: Telegram invokes the function, it handles the update, and the runtime may become idle. A VPS naturally matches a resident polling loop: a process stays alive, calls getUpdates, and keeps its offset. A VPS can still use webhooks, and a serverless platform can sometimes run polling, but those arrangements work against each platform’s simplest operating model.
Rank #2
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 with 2.4Ghz 64-bit quad-core CPU (4GB RAM)
- Includes 128GB Micro SD Card pre-loaded with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS, USB MicroSD Card Reader
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Raspberry Pi 5
- CanaKit Low Noise Bearing System Fan
- CanaKit Mega Heat Sink - Black Anodized
Webhook requirements you must satisfy
- Reachability: use a public DNS name or public IP that Telegram can contact.
- HTTPS: serve the webhook over HTTPS with a certificate valid for the hostname. A third-party guide cited for Telegram setup specifies TLS 1.2 or newer and a matching certificate; confirm the current requirement in the Bot API reference before applying a stricter policy.
- Allowed port: 443 is the default; 80, 88, and 8443 are also accepted when written in the webhook URL.
- Fast request handling: keep the HTTP handler focused on validating and dispatching the update. Move slow work to a queue or background worker when your platform supports one, and make processing safe to repeat.
- Firewall rules: Telegram lists webhook source subnets
149.154.160.0/20and91.108.4.0/22. You can allow-list them if your firewall policy requires source filtering, while still validating the secret header.
Use getWebhookInfo while diagnosing delivery. Its response includes the last delivery error and the number of updates waiting to be delivered, which distinguishes an unreachable endpoint from an application that is falling behind.
When serverless is the better fit
Event-driven traffic with idle periods
If messages arrive in bursts separated by quiet periods, a webhook function avoids keeping an application process running solely to wait for updates. This is an architectural fit, not a promise of lower cost: without the provider’s current pricing and your measured invocation profile, savings cannot be assumed.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Small, stateless handlers
Serverless works well when each update can be handled from the request payload plus external state such as a database, cache, or object store. Keep tokens and connection strings in the platform’s secret manager or encrypted environment settings rather than in source code.
Managed HTTPS and deployment
Many function platforms provide a public HTTPS endpoint, certificate management, logs, and deploy/rollback tooling. You still need to confirm that the resulting URL uses an allowed Telegram port and that your platform accepts Telegram’s request size and execution pattern.
Where serverless becomes awkward
- A handler that routinely runs longer than the platform’s request limit.
- Workflows that require a resident in-memory connection or a local filesystem that survives between invocations.
- Polling designs: a function that waits on
getUpdatesconsumes an invocation while idle and may hit execution limits. - Heavy background jobs that should be separated from the webhook acknowledgement path.
Cold-start behavior, invocation prices, maximum execution times, and concurrency rules vary by provider. No universal serverless figure should be used to choose a platform.
Rank #3
- CanaKit Raspberry Pi 5 Essentials Starter Kit
When a VPS is the better fit
Long polling with the fewest moving parts
A VPS can run one supervised process that repeatedly calls getUpdates. You do not need to expose an inbound port or obtain a public domain, which makes this the most straightforward first deployment for many small bots.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
Antihost’s Linux VPS is self-managed with full root access, NVMe storage, and unlimited traffic on a 1 Gbps port in the USA East, Netherlands, or Ukraine, fitting a supervised long-polling process.
Persistent processes and local resources
Choose an always-on host when the bot needs a resident scheduler, a local queue, a filesystem cache, a long-lived database connection, custom system packages, or a worker that handles jobs independently of Telegram requests.
Webhook control on your own host
A VPS is also appropriate for webhooks when you want full control over the reverse proxy, certificates, firewall, and application runtime. The trade-off is that you must patch the operating system, supervise the process, rotate secrets, monitor disk and memory, and renew certificates.
What a VPS does not solve automatically
A running server does not make an endpoint Telegram can reach. If you select webhooks, configure DNS, HTTPS, an allowed port, and firewall rules. If you select polling, ensure exactly one active consumer for the bot token; two polling processes compete for the same update stream and make offset handling unpredictable.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Rank #4
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 16GB with 2.4Ghz 64-bit quad-core CPU (16GB RAM)
- Includes 128GB Micro SD Card pre-loaded with 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS, USB MicroSD Card Reader
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Raspberry Pi 5
- CanaKit Low Noise Bearing System Fan
- Mega Heat Sink - Black Anodized
A practical decision framework
- Start with the update mode. If your design is webhook-first, compare HTTPS function endpoints with a VPS reverse proxy. If it is polling-first, compare a VPS with other always-on compute; do not choose a function merely because it is marketed as serverless.
- Classify the workload. Record whether handlers are short and stateless or whether they need persistent workers, local files, scheduled tasks, or long transactions.
- Measure traffic shape. Estimate quiet hours, bursts, average update rate, and worst-case processing time. Use these inputs for a provider’s current pricing and limits rather than assuming serverless is cheaper.
- Assign operational ownership. Decide who will patch a host, investigate failed deliveries, renew certificates, review logs, and restore service.
- Choose the simplest design that meets the requirements. A small polling bot on a supervised VPS is often simpler than forcing polling into a function. A webhook bot with short handlers is often simpler on a managed function than on a self-administered server.
Deploying a serverless webhook
1. Build an HTTP handler
Accept the POST request, parse the Telegram update, and return a success response after you have durably accepted the work. Reject malformed input and avoid logging the bot token or sensitive message contents. If processing is asynchronous, place the update in a durable queue before acknowledging it.
2. Deploy to a public HTTPS URL
Use a hostname whose certificate matches the URL. Verify from an external network that the endpoint resolves publicly and accepts HTTPS on port 443, 80, 88, or 8443. Do not assume a platform’s private or preview URL is reachable by Telegram.
3. Register the webhook
Replace the angle-bracket values with your token and endpoint. The optional secret token lets your handler authenticate Telegram’s request header.
curl -F "url=https://bot.example.com/telegram/webhook"
-F "secret_token=replace-with-a-random-secret"
"https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/setWebhook"Store the secret outside source control. Telegram sends it in the X-Telegram-Bot-Api-Secret-Token header; reject requests whose value does not match.
Recommended Free Tools
4. Verify registration and delivery
curl "https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/getWebhookInfo"Check the returned URL, the number of pending updates, and any last delivery error. Send a test message to the bot and confirm that your function logs the update and completes the expected action.
Best Value
- Includes Raspberry Pi 5 with 2.4Ghz 64-bit quad-core CPU (8GB RAM)
- Includes 32GB EVO+ Micro SD Card pre-loaded with 64-bit Pi OS, USB MicroSD Card Reader
- CanaKit Turbine Black Case for the Raspberry Pi 5
- CanaKit 45W PD Power Supply for the Raspberry Pi 5
- Display Cable - 6 foot (Supports up to 4K 60p)
5. Add observability and replay safety
- Log a request identifier, update identifier, processing result, and duration without exposing secrets.
- Persist the update identifier or your own idempotency key before performing non-repeatable actions.
- Alert on sustained pending updates, repeated delivery errors, elevated error rates, and exhausted function quotas.
Deploying a VPS bot with long polling
1. Prepare one dedicated process
Install your runtime and bot code, place the token in an environment variable or secret store, and create a service definition that restarts the process after a crash. Keep one active polling consumer for the token.
2. Remove any existing webhook
Long polling fails while a webhook is set. Delete it before starting the polling loop:
curl -F "drop_pending_updates=false"
"https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/deleteWebhook"Use drop_pending_updates=true only when intentionally discarding queued updates. Treat that as a data-loss decision, not a routine cleanup step.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →3. Run the polling loop
Your client should call getUpdates, provide the next offset after processing, wait for the request to return, and repeat. A generic request looks like this:
curl "https://api.telegram.org/bot<TOKEN>/getUpdates?timeout=30&offset=<NEXT_OFFSET>"The timeout in this example is a client choice, not a statement of a current Telegram limit. Follow the Bot API version and library documentation you use.
4. Supervise and monitor
- Restart on non-zero exit and expose service health to your monitoring system.
- Log polling errors, update offsets, processing duration, and queue depth.
- Set disk, memory, and CPU alerts; rotate logs before the disk fills.
- Patch the operating system and dependencies on a defined schedule.
Security controls for either hosting model
- Protect the token: treat it as a credential. Rotate it if exposed and update every deployment that uses it.
- Authenticate webhooks: validate the
X-Telegram-Bot-Api-Secret-Tokenheader when you setsecret_token. - Use least privilege: restrict database users, cloud roles, filesystem permissions, and outbound access to what the bot needs.
- Validate content: parse Telegram’s JSON defensively, enforce size limits, and treat user-provided text as untrusted input.
- Protect administration: require key-based SSH, disable password login where appropriate, and limit management ports on a VPS.
- Keep recovery material: document the token rotation procedure, webhook URL, environment variables, database backup location, and the command that switches delivery modes.
Switching between webhook and polling safely
Plan the cutover so that only one delivery method is active:
- Stop the old consumer or disable the old function’s processing path.
- Delete the existing webhook before starting polling, or stop polling before setting a webhook.
- Decide whether pending updates should be processed or intentionally dropped; never use a drop flag without recording the decision.
- Activate the new method and send a test update.
- Check
getWebhookInfofor webhook deployments, or inspect polling logs and offsets for VPS deployments. - Watch for duplicate side effects during the transition and keep handlers idempotent.
Troubleshooting by symptom
| Symptom | Likely cause | Action |
|---|---|---|
getUpdates returns a conflict or no usable updates |
A webhook is still configured, or another polling process is active. | Call getWebhookInfo, delete the webhook before polling, and stop duplicate consumers. |
| Webhook pending updates keep increasing | Telegram cannot reach the URL, the port is not allowed, TLS fails, or the handler errors or times out. | Inspect the last delivery error from getWebhookInfo; verify public DNS, certificate, allowed port, firewall, logs, and response path. |
| Requests arrive but are rejected as unauthorized | The secret header is missing or does not match your configured value. | Compare the configured secret_token with X-Telegram-Bot-Api-Secret-Token and rotate the secret if it was exposed. |
| Bot works manually but not after deployment | Production is using a different token, environment, URL, or webhook registration. | Print configuration identifiers—not secrets—at startup, verify the registered URL, and send a fresh test update. |
| Updates are processed twice | Two consumers are running, or non-idempotent work is retried. | Run one delivery consumer and record update or job identifiers before performing irreversible actions. |
Final recommendation
For a webhook-based bot with short, stateless request handling and uneven traffic, start with a managed serverless function if its current limits and observability meet your needs. For a bot whose simplest design is long polling, or one that needs a resident worker, local resources, scheduled jobs, or full runtime control, use a VPS or always-on container. Re-evaluate only after measuring your actual update volume, processing time, failure rate, and operational workload; Telegram’s delivery rules make the webhook-versus-polling choice more important than the hosting label.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
