A powerful Python script that allows you to scrape messages and media from Telegram channels using the Telethon library. Features include real-time continuous scraping, media downloading, and data export capabilities.

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What's New in v3.0 🎉

QR Code Authentication:

No phone number required - Login with QR code scanning (still need API credentials)
Faster authentication - Just scan with your phone after API setup
Secure login - Recommended authentication method
2FA support for both QR and phone methods

Enhanced User Experience:

Numbered channel selection - Use 1,2,3 instead of full channel IDs
Multi-channel operations - Add, remove, and scrape multiple channels at once
Streamlined menu - Cleaner interface with fewer redundant options
Progress bars for media downloads with visual feedback

Media Download Improvements:

Fixed file overwriting - Unique naming prevents media files from being overwritten
5x concurrent downloads - Increased from 3 to 5 for faster media processing
Better error handling - Improved retry logic and recovery

Performance & Stability:

Database optimizations - WAL mode and faster operations
Hidden warnings - Cleaner output without technical messages
Better error recovery - More robust handling of network issues

Features 🚀

QR Code & Phone Authentication - Choose your preferred login method
Scrape messages from multiple Telegram channels
Download media files with parallel processing and unique naming
Real-time continuous scraping
Export data to JSON and CSV formats
SQLite database storage with optimized performance
Resume capability (saves progress)
Interactive menu with numbered channel selection
Progress tracking with visual progress bars

Prerequisites 📋

Before running the script, you'll need:

Python 3.7 or higher
Telegram account
API credentials from Telegram

Required Python packages

pip install -r requirements.txt

Getting Telegram API Credentials 🔑

Visit https://my.telegram.org/auth
Log in with your phone number
Click on "API development tools"
Fill in the form:
- App title: Your app name
- Short name: Your app short name
- Platform: Can be left as "Desktop"
- Description: Brief description of your app
Click "Create application"
You'll receive:
- api_id: A number
- api_hash: A string of letters and numbers

Keep these credentials safe, you'll need them to run the script!

Setup and Running 🔧

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/unnohwn/telegram-scraper.git
cd telegram-scraper

Install requirements:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Run the script:

python telegram-scraper.py

On first run, you'll be prompted to enter:
- Your API ID (from my.telegram.org)
- Your API Hash (from my.telegram.org)
- Choose authentication method:
  - QR Code (Recommended) - Scan with your phone (no phone number needed)
  - Phone Number - Traditional SMS verification

Usage 📝

The script provides a clean interactive menu:

========================================
           TELEGRAM SCRAPER
========================================
[S] Scrape channels
[C] Continuous scraping  
[M] Media scraping: ON
[L] List & add channels
[R] Remove channels
[E] Export data
[T] Rescrape media
[Q] Quit
========================================

Channel Selection Made Easy 🔢

Instead of typing long channel IDs, use numbers:

Adding Channels:

[1] The News (Chat) (id: -1002116176890)
[2] Python Channel (id: -1001597139842)
[3] The Corner (id: -1002274713954)

Enter: 1,3 (adds channels 1 and 3)

Scraping Channels:

Single: 1
Multiple: 1,3,5
All: all
Mix formats: 1,-1001597139842,3

Data Storage 💾

Database Structure

Data is stored in SQLite databases, one per channel:

Location: ./channelname/channelname.db
Optimized with indexes for fast queries
WAL mode for better performance

Media Storage 📁

Media files are stored with unique naming:

Location: ./channelname/media/
Format: {message_id}-{unique_id}-{original_name}.ext
No more file overwrites - Each file gets a unique name

Exported Data 📊

Export formats:

CSV: ./channelname/channelname.csv
JSON: ./channelname/channelname.json

Performance Features ⚙️

5 concurrent downloads for faster media processing
Batch database operations for optimal speed
Progress bars with real-time feedback
Resume capability - Continue where you left off
Memory-efficient exports for large datasets

Error Handling 🛠️

Automatic retry with exponential backoff
Rate limit compliance
Network error recovery
State preservation during interruptions

Limitations ⚠️

Respects Telegram's rate limits
Can only access public channels or channels you're a member of
Media download size limits apply as per Telegram's restrictions

License 📄

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Disclaimer ⚖️

This tool is for educational purposes only. Make sure to:

Respect Telegram's Terms of Service
Obtain necessary permissions before scraping
Use responsibly and ethically
Comply with data protection regulations