Getting started
Pabal developer docs
Everything you need to use Pabal, build bots and apps on top of it, and run your own Pabal server.
Getting started
About PabalWhat Pabal is, how it's built, what works today and what doesn't yet.Getting started
Using the appSigning up, chats, groups, photos, bots and links — a guide for first-time users of the app.Bot development
Build a bot — tutorialCreate a bot with @BotFather and work your way through messages, buttons, commands, photos and groups.Bot development
Receive with webhooksGet new updates delivered straight to your bot's HTTPS address. Verification, retries and replying in the response.Bot development
Bot API referenceEvery method, object and error. Use Telegram Bot API libraries by changing only the address.Pabal API
Pabal API — MTProtoFor building a client that connects the way the app does: connection details, public key, sign-in, updates.Running a server
Server installationServer, PostgreSQL and HTTPS in one go with Docker Compose. Backups and updates included.Running a server
Administration and settingsThe admin page, delivering sign-up codes (SMS and email), and the full list of settings.A bot in three minutes
In the Pabal app, send /newbot to @BotFather to create a bot, and you'll get a token. You can start sending requests with that token right away.
# Put in the token you received
TOKEN='100003:AbCdEf…'
# Bot info
curl -s "https://pabal.me/bot$TOKEN/getMe"
# After sending the bot anything from the app: fetch new updates (waits up to 30 seconds)
curl -s "https://pabal.me/bot$TOKEN/getUpdates?timeout=30"From here, the bot tutorial takes over. If you already have a bot built for Telegram, just change the address from https://api.telegram.org to https://pabal.me.
Which document should I read?
| What you want to do | Document |
|---|---|
| I've just heard of Pabal | About Pabal |
| I want to chat using the app | Using the app |
| I want to build a notification bot or a helper bot | Build a bot → Webhooks |
| I want to run my existing Telegram bot on Pabal too | Connecting a library, Differences from Telegram |
| I'm wondering about the parameters of one method | Bot API reference |
| I want to build a program (client) that connects as a user account | Pabal API — MTProto |
| I want to run my own Pabal server for my organization | Server installation → Administration and settings |
Addresses at a glance
| What | Address | Used by |
|---|---|---|
| Website and links | https://pabal.me/ | Browsers, pabal.me/username links |
| Bot API | https://pabal.me/bot<token>/<method> | Bot programs (HTTPS) |
| Bot API files | https://pabal.me/file/bot<token>/<file_path> | Downloading photos a bot received |
| MTProto | 122.34.175.215:8443 | The Pabal app, MTProto clients, MTProto bots |
| Server public key | https://pabal.me/docs/server-key.pem | The key MTProto clients build in |
The commands and code were run and checked against a Pabal server on 2026-09-19 with python-telegram-bot 22.8, aiogram 3.31, Telethon 1.42 and curl. Features Pabal doesn't support yet are marked separately on each page.