The Bot Builder's Blueprint: Your Pre-Launch Telegram Checklist

Before you panic or call an expensive consultant, let's systematically diagnose what's going wrong. You've built a promising Telegram bot for your business in Uzbekistan—it works on your machine, it passed basic tests, but now, days before launch, you're facing cryptic errors, silent failures, and a gnawing fear that the whole thing might collapse under real users. This isn't just about bugs; it's about risk. A 2025 Gartner report highlighted that 40% of chatbot failures post-launch stem from overlooked pre-flight security and infrastructure checks, not core logic flaws. This guide adopts a security and risk management lens. We won't just make your bot work; we'll harden it against failure, abuse, and data loss, ensuring your venture into Telegram bot development is secure and sustainable.

1. How to Approach Troubleshooting: The Diagnostic Mindset

Stop thinking like a developer for a moment. Think like a security auditor and a site reliability engineer (SRE). Your goal isn't just functionality; it's resilience. The diagnostic mindset follows three principles:

• Assume Hostility: Assume users will input malicious data, attackers will probe for weaknesses, and third-party APIs will fail at the worst possible time.
• Trace the Data: Every error is a symptom. Follow the data flow—from user message → Telegram API → your server → database/API → response back. The break is in that chain.
• Log with Purpose: Without structured logs that capture context (user ID, chat ID, function name, error stack), you're debugging blindfolded.

Adopt this mindset as we walk through the most critical pre-launch problems.

Problem 1: The Silent Bot - Webhook Configuration Failure

Difficulty: Medium | Estimated Fix Time: 15-30 minutes

Symptom

You send a message to your bot in Telegram and get no response. The bot appears "online," but it's completely unresponsive. No errors appear in your local development console if you're testing there.

Root Cause

This is almost always a webhook issue. Telegram needs to know where to POST user messages (updates). If the webhook URL is incorrect, invalid (HTTP vs HTTPS), points to a dead server, or has an invalid SSL certificate, updates are sent into the void. According to Statista (2024), misconfigured deployments account for nearly 30% of initial bot launch failures.

Fix

1. Verify Your Server is Live: Ensure your application (e.g., Node.js/Python script) is running and accessible on its public IP/port.
2. Check Webhook URL: Use curl or getWebhookInfo method.

   # Replace BOT_TOKEN with your actual token
   curl https://api.telegram.org/bot<BOT_TOKEN>/getWebhookInfo
   

   Look at the url field and last_error_date.
3. Set Webhook Correctly:

   # Set webhook to your HTTPS endpoint
   curl -F "url=https://yourdomain.com/webhook_path" https://api.telegram.org/bot<BOT_TOKEN>/setWebhook
   

4. For Local Development: Use ngrok or Telethon/PTB's polling instead of webhooks.

   ngrok http 3000
   # Use the provided https://xxxx.ngrok.io URL as your webhook.
   

Prevention

Automate webhook setting in your deployment script (CI/CD). Always verify getWebhookInfo after deployment. For production, never use HTTP; enforce HTTPS with a valid certificate (Let's Encrypt is free).

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Problem 2: Database Connection Leaks & Timeouts Under Load

Difficulty: High | Estimated Fix Time: 45-90 minutes

Symptom

The bot works fine for one user but becomes sluggish or crashes when 10+ users interact simultaneously. You see "TimeoutError: Connection timed out" or "Too many connections" in logs.

Root Cause

Your code opens a new database connection for every user request without closing it properly. Connection pools are exhausted under concurrent load—a classic scaling failure point that turns a successful test into a public outage.

Fix

1. Identify Leaks: Check your DBMS connection count (SHOW PROCESSLIST; in MySQL, SELECT * FROM pg_stat_activity; in PostgreSQL) while simulating load.
2. Implement Connection Pooling:
   • Python (async): Use asyncpg.create_pool or SQLAlchemy's pool settings.

     import asyncpg
     pool = await asyncpg.create_pool(database='...', min_size=5, max_size=20)
     async with pool.acquire() as connection:
         await connection.execute(...)
     # 'async with' automatically releases connection back to pool.
     

   • Node.js: Use connection pooling provided by your library (pg.Pool, mysql2/promise).
3. Set Timeouts: Configure statement and connection timeouts in your pool settings.

Prevention

Use an ORM or query builder with built-in pooling logic reviewed by experts at Softwhere.UZ during architecture design stages for robust business automation tools.

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Problem 3: Unhandled Exceptions Crashing the Entire Bot Process

Difficulty: Medium | Estimated Fix Time: 20-40 minutes

Symptom

The bot process suddenly stops with a Python traceback or Node.js error log, taking all users offline until manually restarted.

Root Cause

A single unhandled exception (e.g., parsing unexpected user input, calling an external API that returns null) propagates up to the main event loop and kills the entire process—a single-point-of-failure risk.

Fix

1. Wrap All Handlers: Implement comprehensive try-catch blocks around every update handler.
2. Use Process Managers: Employ tools designed to catch crashes and restart.
   • Node.js: Use PM2 (pm2 start bot.js --name telegram-bot)
   • Python: Use systemd services or Supervisor.
3. Global Error Handler:

   # Python-Telegram-Bot example using error handlers.
   from telegram.ext import ApplicationBuilder
   
   async def error_handler(update: object, context):
       # Log the error safely here.
       logger.error(f"Exception while handling update {update}:", exc_info=context.error)
       # Optionally notify admin via chat ID.
   
   application = ApplicationBuilder().token(TOKEN).build()
   application.add_error_handler(error_handler)
   

Prevention

Implement structured logging (e.g., JSON logs) for all errors and integrate monitoring alerts (e.g., Sentry) to be notified of crashes before users notice.

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Problem 4: Inadequate Rate Limiting Leading to Telegram Bans

Difficulty: Medium-High | Estimated Fix Time: 30-60 minutes

Symptom

Your bot starts failing with "429 Too Many Requests" errors from Telegram's API after performing bulk operations (sending notifications, importing users).

Root Cause

Telegram enforces strict rate limits (~30 messages/second globally per bot). Hitting these limits can result in temporary bans—a critical oversight for notification-heavy bots used in business automation workflows across Central Asia.

Fix & Prevention Combined:

Proactively implement client-side rate limiting:

• Use queues (like Redis with BullMQ for Node.js or RQ for Python) for all outgoing messages.
• Implement throttling logic within your code:

import asyncio

class MessageThrottler:
    def __init__(self):
        self.queue = asyncio.LifoQueue()
        self.delay = .034 # ~29 msg/sec (<30 limit)

async def safe_send_message(context):
await asyncio.sleep(throttler.delay)
await context.bot.send_message(...)

• For broadcasts to large audiences (>1000 users), space sends over hours/days using scheduled jobs.

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Problem 5: Data Loss from Missing State Persistence on Restart

Difficulty: Medium | Estimated Fix Time**:25–50 minutes

Symptom Users are thrown back to the start of a conversation after you restart/update the bot.* Any multi-step process (order form, payment confirmation*) loses its place.*

Root Cause You’re storing conversation state in memory (e.g.,* Python dicts*, JavaScript objects)* which is volatile*. Every restart wipes it clean — unacceptable for any transactional business process.*

Fix 1.** Choose persistent storage:* Redis*, PostgreSQL*, MongoDB* 2.** Integrate state management:* • For Python‑Telegram‑Bot:* use Persistence classes (PicklePersistence, RedisPersistence). • For Node.js:* use Telegraf sessions with Redis adapter*

const session = require('telegraf-session-redis')
bot.use(session({
store:{ host:'127..0..1', port:6379 }
}))
bot.command('start', ctx =>{
ctx.session.data = {} // This persists across restarts*
})

3.** Test thoroughly:* Restart your bot process & verify state resumes*

Prevention Make persistent state part of initial project scaffolding — never prototype without it if launching publicly*

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Problem6 : Security Hole : Unvalidated User Input Leading To Injection Or Logic Abuse*

**Difficulty : High | Estimated Fix Time :40–75 minutes

Symptom Strange database entries*, unexpected behavior when users send certain text (like SQL code snippets, special characters), unauthorized access to other users’ data by manipulating IDs*

Root Cause Treating user input (messages, callback query data , inline query text*) as trusted*. This opens doors for injection attacks (if you concatenate strings into queries) & privilege escalation if you pass user‑provided IDs directly into sensitive operations — arguably one of biggest risks in chatbot development*

Fix 1.** Validate & sanitize EVERY input:* • For database queries:* ALWAYS use parameterized queries / prepared statements* • For file operations:* never use user input directly in file paths* • For business logic:* check that numeric IDs are integers & within allowed ranges*

# BAD - SQL Injection vulnerability*
query=f“SELECT * FROM orders WHERE user_id={user_input}”
# GOOD - Parameterized query*
cursor.execute(“SELECT * FROM orders WHERE user_id=%s”,(user_input ,))

2.** Implement access control checks:* Before fetching/updating any resource , verify that the requesting Telegram user ID owns that resource or has appropriate permissions*

Prevention Conduct peer review focused specifically on security ; use static analysis tools ; write unit tests that feed malicious inputs into every handler*

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Problem7 : Third‑Party API Dependency Failures Causing Cascading Errors*

**Difficulty : Medium | Estimated Fix Time :30–60 minutes

Symptom Your bot hangs/fails whenever external service (payment gateway , weather API , CRM system) times out / returns an error / changes its format — McKinsey notes over half of digital service disruptions originate from third‑party dependencies*(2025)*

Root Cause No circuit breakers , timeouts ,or fallback logic around calls to external APIs — making their instability YOUR instability*

Fix 1.** Wrap ALL external calls with timeouts & retries(with exponential backoff)*

import httpx 
from tenacity import retry , stop_after_attempt , wait_exponential 

@retry(stop=stop_after_attempt(3 ),wait=wait_exponential(multiplier=1 ))
async def fetch_api_data(url ):
async with httpx .AsyncClient(timeout =10 ..0 )as client :
response =await client .get(url )
response .raise_for_status ()
return response .json ()

2.** Implement circuit breaker pattern(using libraries like pybreaker / opossum)to stop hammering failing APIs * 3.** Design graceful degradation : If payment gateway fails , save order locally & notify admin ; don’t show generic crash message *

Prevention Map all third‑party dependencies ; monitor their health ; have contractual SLAs where possible ; design core features so they can operate(with reduced functionality)without each dependency *

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Quick‑Reference Diagnostic Table

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When DIY Ends And You Need Expert Help

Recognize these red flags where continued DIY risks business reputation/data loss :

• You need compliance with Uzbek data localization laws(requiring specific server locations/data handling) *
• Complex integrations requiring custom middleware between Telegram API & legacy enterprise systems(ERP,SAP) *
• Recurring security incidents(suspected breaches , credential leaks)despite applying fixes above *
• Team lacks DevOps expertise for robust CI/CD , containerization(Docker/Kubernetes),and high‑availability setups *

At this point partnering with specialists like Softwhere.UZ shifts cost from reactive firefighting toward proactive value creation through reliable automation *

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Emergency vs Non‑Emergency Classification

Triage issues correctly :

EMERGENCY(Requires immediate action – <15 minute response) • Bot sending spam/phishing links(compromised token) * • Active data breach(PII leakage confirmed)* • Complete outage during peak business hours *

HIGH PRIORITY(Address within few hours) • Critical feature broken(e.g., payment processing)* • Performance degradation affecting >20%of users * • Security vulnerability discovered(patch available)*

ROUTINE(Schedule fix) • Cosmetic UI issues * • New feature requests * • Minor latency increases *

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Call-to-Action

Don’t let pre‑launch anxiety sabotage months of hard work on your Telegram bot development project . This checklist mitigates technical risks — but strategic risks remain .

If reading this made you realize gaps in architecture/scalability/security specific to Uzbekistan’s digital landscape — let’s talk .

Softwhere.UZ offers Pre‑Launch Security Audits tailored for Central Asian businesses . We’ll run penetration tests , load test under simulated Tashkent/Almaty traffic patterns , review codebase against OWASP Top10 vulnerabilities — delivering actionable report so you launch confidently .

[Contact our team today]for consultation — transform uncertainty into competitive advantage through resilient chatbot development .