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Using environment variables

Store your Telegram bot token and config values securely using a .env file on FPS.ms instead of hardcoding them in your code.

CanerAkar Updated
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Environment variables let you store your bot token, API keys, and configuration values outside of your code. On FPS.ms, you do this with a .env file. This keeps secrets secure and makes it easy to change settings without editing your bot's source files.

Why use environment variables?

Approach Security Convenience
Hardcoded in code Anyone who sees your code sees your token Must edit code to change values
.env file Not part of your code Edit one file to change values

Never hardcode your token

If your bot token is in your code and you push to a public GitHub repo, anyone can take control of your bot. Always use a .env file.

Creating a .env file on FPS.ms

  1. Go to panel.fps.ms and select your Telegram bot server
  2. Open the Files tab
  3. Create a new file named .env in the root directory
  4. Add your variables in KEY=value format, one per line:
.env
BOT_TOKEN=7123456789:AAHdqTcvCH1vGWJxfSeofSAs0K5PALDsaw
BOT_NAME=MyCoolBot
ADMIN_CHAT_ID=123456789
  1. Save the file and restart your server for the changes to take effect

No spaces around the equals sign

Write BOT_TOKEN=yourtoken, not BOT_TOKEN = yourtoken. Extra spaces can cause the value to be read incorrectly.

Keep .env out of Git

If you use a GitHub repository to deploy your bot, add .env to your .gitignore file so your token is never pushed to GitHub. Create the .env file directly on the FPS.ms panel instead.

Reading environment variables in your code

Python

Python needs the python-dotenv package to load .env files. Add it to your requirements.txt:

requirements.txt
python-telegram-bot
python-dotenv

Then load the .env file at the top of your app.py:

app.py
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
from telegram.ext import ApplicationBuilder

load_dotenv()

TOKEN = os.environ['BOT_TOKEN']
ADMIN_ID = os.environ.get('ADMIN_CHAT_ID')  # returns None if not set

app = ApplicationBuilder().token(TOKEN).build()
Method Behavior
os.environ['BOT_TOKEN'] Raises KeyError if not set — use for required values
os.environ.get('ADMIN_CHAT_ID') Returns None if not set — use for optional values

Node.js

Node.js needs the dotenv package to load .env files. Add it to your package.json:

package.json (dependencies section)
{
    "dependencies": {
        "telegraf": "latest",
        "dotenv": "latest"
    }
}

Then load the .env file at the top of your index.js:

index.js
require('dotenv').config();
const { Telegraf } = require('telegraf');

const TOKEN = process.env.BOT_TOKEN;
const ADMIN_ID = process.env.ADMIN_CHAT_ID;

const bot = new Telegraf(TOKEN);

Common environment variables for Telegram bots

Variable Example value Purpose
BOT_TOKEN 7123456789:AAH... Your Telegram bot token (required)
ADMIN_CHAT_ID 123456789 Your Telegram user ID for admin commands
GROUP_CHAT_ID -100123456789 A group chat ID for notifications
DATABASE_URL sqlite:///bot.db Database connection string
LOG_LEVEL INFO Logging verbosity

Finding your chat ID

To find your Telegram user ID, send a message to @userinfobot on Telegram. It will reply with your numeric ID.

Migrating from hardcoded tokens

Python — before and after

Before (insecure)
app = ApplicationBuilder().token('7123456789:AAHdqTcvCH1vGWJxfSeofSAs0K5PALDsaw').build()
After (secure)
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
load_dotenv()
app = ApplicationBuilder().token(os.environ['BOT_TOKEN']).build()

Don't forget to add python-dotenv to your requirements.txt.

Node.js — before and after

Before (insecure)
const bot = new Telegraf('7123456789:AAHdqTcvCH1vGWJxfSeofSAs0K5PALDsaw');
After (secure)
require('dotenv').config();
const bot = new Telegraf(process.env.BOT_TOKEN);

Troubleshooting

Problem Cause Fix
KeyError: 'BOT_TOKEN' (Python) .env file missing or load_dotenv() not called Create .env and add load_dotenv() before accessing variables
Unauthorized Token value is wrong Copy the token again from BotFather
ModuleNotFoundError: dotenv python-dotenv not installed Add python-dotenv to requirements.txt
Cannot find module 'dotenv' dotenv not in dependencies Add dotenv to package.json dependencies
Changes not taking effect Server not restarted Restart your server after editing .env

Next steps