Create a serverless Telegram Bot with a database to keep track of users using Netlify Functions and FaunaDB

• Getting Telegram Bot token and FaunaDB key
• Deploy to Netlify
• Hooking up the Bot

On Telegram, create a new Telegram bot by talking to @botfather and thereafter get the token for the Telegram Bot.

On FaunaDb site, create a collection with the name user (optionally, generate an index for the collection and specify the term for the id to be unique). Head to the security section and generate a FaunaDB key for the collection.

Deploy to Netlify either by linking to this repository manually or by clicking the "Deploy to netlify" above.

Remember to fill in the environment variables on netlify - TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN, FAUNA_SECRET_KEY with the token and the secret key obtained respectively

Thereafter, you need to specify and tell telegram where your bot should direct the messages it received to. Do so by simply visiting this url (without the {, })

https://api.telegram.org/bot{your_bot_token}/setWebhook?url={your_netlify_domain_url}/api/bot

If it is set up correctly, it should respond back with

{
  "ok": true,
  "result": true,
  "description": "Webhook was set"
}

Afterwhich, YOU ARE DONE!🎉🎉

Try typing /start to your bot and watch as the user ID of the Telegram user is stored inside your FaunaDB database

This bot uses telegraf.js for its Telegram Bot functionality. Head to its website to find out how to extend the functionality of the bot you have created :)