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Building a Voice-Enabled Telegram Bot for GPT Chat Without DevOps: A Detailed Guide
This guide will walk you through the process of creating a voice-activated Telegram bot for GPT chat. Our aim is to deliver a smooth, user-friendly experience while reducing the complexity of DevOps tasks. We will highlight the shortcomings of our initial solution using PipeDream and explain why we transitioned to Railway—a more adaptable platform. Additionally, we will outline the steps for setting up the Telegram bot with Node.js and configuring the database on Railway. Lastly, we’ll share a link to our GitHub repository, allowing you to access the bot and explore future enhancements.

TL;DR: You can deploy your own Telegram bot through our GitHub repository.

The Previous PipeDream Solution
At the outset, our goal was to quickly validate the concept of a voice-enabled Telegram bot for GPT chat. We used PipeDream, a low-code automation platform similar to Zapier, to build a working solution within just two evenings. This setup allowed us to convert voice messages to text, send chat history to GPT, retrieve responses, and send them back to users. The rapid development and ease of use of PipeDream validated our concept and made the process enjoyable and effective.
Why We Moved Away from PipeDream:
While PipeDream was efficient for testing, it became apparent that it had significant limitations once we started using the bot more extensively. A key issue was the absence of automatic retries when OpenAI couldn’t process requests, leading to occasional failures in response delivery. PipeDream did offer a retry function, but it came at a high cost of $200 per month, which wasn’t sustainable for an individual user. Furthermore, PipeDream didn’t provide easy access to analytics, making it difficult to track key metrics like daily active users.
Another major issue was the inability to link multiple PipeDream automations to the Telegram bot, which created difficulties in implementing features like a Reset button for clearing messages. We had to rely on complex workarounds to manage commands and maintain chat histories. These challenges led us to search for a more flexible and scalable solution.

Transitioning to Railway: A Flexible Platform for Our Telegram Bot
After deciding to move away from PipeDream, we turned to Railway, a platform that simplified our deployment process while minimizing DevOps effort. Railway allowed us to quickly set up a database for storing messages, user interactions, and analytical events. It integrated effortlessly with our GitHub repository, managing deployment, configuration, and automatic restarts in case of system failures. This streamlined setup removed the need for manual server management, making the experience more convenient and reliable.

Building the Telegram Bot with Node.js
To create the Telegram bot, we dedicated several evenings to writing Node.js code. A solid understanding of JavaScript and TypeScript is essential for this process, though Python could also be an option. For those without programming experience, hiring an experienced developer is recommended. Even junior developers can use pre-existing code snippets found online. We’ve made the code for the Telegram bot available on GitHub, providing an easy starting point for those looking to customize the bot further.

Simplified Database Configuration on Railway
In the past, setting up a database required remembering numerous commands and performing repetitive tasks. Railway significantly simplified this process. In just a few clicks, we set up a Postgres database, created tables for messages, users, and events, and generated a secret access key for database connectivity. This user-friendly process made it easy to manage data related to message history, user access, and bot analytics.