Table of Contents:

• Intruduction
• Install OS on Raspberry Pi 5
• Connect to Raspberry Pi via SSH
• Prepare envariement
• Create and Run the Bot
• Keep the bot running in the background using tmux
• Automatically Start the Bot on Boot (Optional)

Intruduction

In my previous article, I demonstrated how to create and run a Telegram Bot using Python. You can find it here

In this guide, I’ll walk you through hosting your Telegram bot on your own Raspberry Pi server.

Install OS on Raspberry Pi 5

Follow this guide to create an image with Raspberry Pi Imager.

I recommend choosing Raspberry Pi OS Lite OS because it is the best option in terms of lightweight simplicity.

In the imager settings check the box next to Enable SSH and select use password authentification. This will allow you to connect to your Raspberry Pi via SSH.

After creating the image on a USB flash drive, insert the flash card into your Raspberry Pi and power it on.

Connect to Raspberry Pi via SSH

1. Open the console (cmd or PowerShell on Windows)
2. Ping your Raspberry Pi the following command:

ping raspberrypi.local

You’ll receive ping statistics along with the IP address of your Raspberry Pi.

1. Use this IP address to connect via SSH:

SSH pi@ (for example: SSH [email protected])

1. Enter the password (default is raspberry). I strongly recommend changing this later.
2. If the password is correct, you will be connected to your Raspberry Pi via SSH.

Prepare Envariement

1. Update your Raspberry Pi

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

1. Install Python Raspberry Pi OS usually comes with Python pre-installed. Check if it's installed:

python3 --version

If Python is not installed, you can install it using:

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip

1. Set Up a Virtual Environment (Optional but Recommended) It’s a good practice to create a virtual environment to keep your project dependencies isolated:

sudo apt install python3-venv
python3 -m venv telegram-bot-env
source telegram-bot-env/bin/activate

1. Install the Python Telegram Bot Library

pip install python-telegram-bot --upgrade

Create and Run the Bot

1. Create a new Python file using the nano text editor

nano bot.py

1. Write your bot code in this new file _(you can use code from my previous article). Press CTRL O then hit Enter to save changes. To exit press CTRL X.
2. Run the bot

python3 bot.py

Your bot is now running, and you can test it on Telegram.

However, this method will terminate the bot when you close the terminal.

To keep it running in the background we can use tmux

Keep the Bot Running in the Background Using tmux

Create an Executable Shell Script to Start Your Bot

1. Install tmux

sudo apt update
sudo apt install tmux

1. Create a new shell script to start your bot. You can name it start_bot.sh

nano start_bot.sh

1. Add the following lines to the script, replacing bot.py with the name of your Python bot file and telegram-bots-env with your env name:

#!/bin/bash
source telegram-bots-env/bin/activate
python3 bot.py

1. Save and exit (CTRL O, Enter, CTRL X).
2. Make the script executable:

chmod  x start_bot.sh

Run Bot via tmux:

1. Start a new tmux session:

tmux new -s my_bot_session

1. Inside the tmux session, run your bot script:

./start_bot.sh

1. Detach from the tmux session by pressing CTRL B, then D
2. Reattach to the tmux Session (if needed) To reattach to your bot’s tmux session later, use:

tmux attach -t my_bot_session

Automatically Start the Bot on Boot (Optional)

If you want your bot to start automatically on boot, you can use a systemd service. Here’s how:

1. Create a new service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/my_bot.service

1. Add the following configuration, modifying paths as needed:

[Unit]
Description=My Bot Service

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/bin/tmux new-session -d -s my_bot_session '/path/to/start_bot.sh'
WorkingDirectory=/path/to/my_bot
User=pi

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

1. Save and exit the file.
2. Reload the systemd daemon:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

1. Enable the service to start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable my_bot.service

1. Start the service:

sudo systemctl start my_bot.service