Here are practical tools and methods you can use to archive a Telegram channel — including downloads of message history, media, metadata and exports in readable formats:

🔧 1. Telegram Desktop — Built-in Export Tool

Best for: Quick export without coding
Telegram Desktop (official app for Windows/macOS/Linux) has an Export Chat History feature that lets you save a channel’s messages, media, photos, videos, and files to your computer in HTML or JSON formats. You’re not using a third-party script — just built-in export functionality. Reddit

👉 Steps (general idea):

1. Open Telegram Desktop.

2. Navigate to the channel you want to archive.

3. Click menu (three dots) → Export chat history.

4. Choose formats (HTML for readable, JSON for data analysis), date ranges, and media options.

Note: Exported data can’t be re-imported into Telegram — it’s for archiving & reading only.

🛠️ 2. Open-Source Archiving Scripts & Tools

These require Telegram API credentials (api_id and api_hash) from my.telegram.org and usually a valid Telegram account.

✔️ TelegramBackup (Python)

A powerful Python tool to extract and organize chats, channels, groups with structured HTML and SQLite storage. It preserves messages, media, reactions, threads, etc. GitHub

Pros

• Full message history + media

• Incremental updates (only new messages later)

• HTML browsing + SQLite DB

Cons

• Requires Python & setup

Use case: Best all-around open-source solution for regular archiving.

✔️ telegram-download-chat

CLI utility to download message history from channels (and groups) in JSON or TXT, with metadata. GitHub+1

Pros

• Lightweight

• Supports filters (date range, users)

• JSON/TXT export

Cons

• CLI, needs Telegram API credentials

Good for: Data analysis exports and scripts.

✔️ tg-archive

Exports a channel’s messages into a static website archive (like mailing list HTML pages). It syncs periodically to keep archive up-to-date. GitHub+1

Pros

• Creates browsable archive styled like a site

• Generates RSS/Atom feeds of messages

Cons

• Originally for groups, but often works on channels too

• Not actively maintained

Good for: Public archiving and hosting as a static site.

✔️ TelegramArchive (mo1ein)

A flexible tool exporting chats/channels to JSON/HTML, letting you include or exclude media types (photos, audio, videos, etc.). GitHub

Pros

• Customizable media export

• Handles both public and private channels

Cons

• Minimal documentation

Good for: Custom exports where you care about media filtering.

📊 3. Commercial & Enterprise Archiving

If you need compliance, retention, or big-scale capture, enterprise solutions exist — although typically not free:

• Nuclei for Telegram — archives Telegram communications (including channels) into enterprise archiving systems like Microsoft Purview or Veritas. Nuclei

• LeapXpert — compliance capturing with metadata and full conversation archiving. LeapXpert

Good for: Legal/regulatory environments (business, finance, legal).

🧠 4. Scraping & Export Services

If you only need public channel exports, third-party online services can convert channel posts to CSV or basic structured data:

• Telegram to CSV — exports messages from public channels to CSV format (some limits for free plan). telegramtocsv.com

Caution: These often only support public channels and may have usage limits.

📌 Important Notes

✅ For any script or API-based tool, you must use your own Telegram account credentials and abide by Telegram’s Terms of Service.
✅ Archiving private channels or chats you don’t have access to is unethical and may violate privacy/legal rules.
✅ Export tools generally don’t re-import into Telegram — they’re for backup/analysis, not restore. Reddit

🧠 Quick Comparison

If you tell me what exactly you want to archive (just text, media, schedule recurring backups, public vs. private), I can tailor the best solution and show quick setup steps!

Here’s a bigger list of open-source tools you can use to archive or scrape Telegram channels, chats, and media — everything from simple dumps to more advanced continuous scrapers and exporters:

📦 Dedicated Archiving / Export Tools

1) TelegramBackup (Python)

A full-featured archiving script that extracts messages, media, reactions, replies and generates HTML + SQLite backups. Works on personal chats, groups, supergroups, and channels. GitHub

• Exports: Rich HTML browsing + structured database

• Includes: Media, reactions, threaded replies, contact list

• Requires Telegram API keys.

2) telegram-download-chat

A command-line utility to download full chat history (JSON/TXT) from Telegram chats, groups, or channels. Flexible filters (date/user) and optional GUI/web UI. GitHub+1

• Cross-platform (Windows/macOS/Linux)

• Can process previously exported .json archives too

• Exports metadata and messages.

3) tg-archive

Exports Telegram chat history to a static website (mailing-list style) with navigation by year/month/day, embeds media, avatars, and can produce RSS/Atom. GitHub

• Intended for continuous syncs and cron jobs

• Good for publishing archives publicly (ethical/legal use only)

4) tg_history_dumper

A Go-based archiver that dumps messages and media from channels/groups into local storage (JSON + media). GitHub

• Efficient streaming and resuming downloads

• Ideal for heavy dumps of large channels

• Works from the Telegram API (requires api_id/api_hash)

5) telegram-messages-dump

Simple CLI tool that exports history to jsonl, CSV, or plain text with minimal fuss. GitHub

• Lightweight and easy to run

• Good for quick archives or integration with analysis pipelines

📊 Scraping / Channel Mining Tools

(These lean more toward scraping and analytics but often include message download features useful for archiving.)

6) unnohwn/telegram-scraper

A Python Telethon-based scraper that continuously fetches messages + media from channels, with exports to CSV/JSON and SQLite. GitHub

• Handles reactions, views, metadata

• Resumable database, progress menus

• Ideal for periodic archiving of active channels

7) TelegramScraper projects on GitHub

There are multiple community projects (e.g., TelegramScraper, telegram-scraper scripts) built with Telethon or custom logic to pull channel messages and/or members. GitHub+1

• Often community-driven, varying quality

• Good starting points if you want to customize or extend for specific tasks

🧪 Other Related Open-Source Helpers

8) telegram-channels-export

Simple Python script to export list of all channels you belong to (CSV of names/IDs/links). GitHub

• Not a full message archiver, but useful for indexing and planning dumps

🧠 Notes on Usage & Legality

📌 Most of these tools require Telegram API credentials (api_id, api_hash) and a logged-in user account (not bot API) to access private channels you belong to.

📌 Be careful: scraping or archiving channels you do not have permission to access (especially private ones) can violate privacy and local laws.

📌 Many Telethon-based tools can hit rate limits — the larger the channel and more frequent the archive, the more you must respect those limits.

🛠 How to Choose

If you tell me what exactly you want to archive (just text, all media, periodic backups, public vs private channels), I can tailor which of these fits best and show you step-by-step setup instructions!

Got it 👍
You want to export a Telegram discussion chat (the linked group that contains channel posts + user comments) including media files.

This is a very specific case, and only some tools handle it correctly (because discussion chats are groups with special reply links to channel posts).

Below are the best open-source solutions that actually work for discussion channels, plus exact recommendations.

✅ BEST OPTIONS (Open Source)

🥇 TelegramBackup (Python) — Most reliable

✔ Handles discussion groups correctly
✔ Exports channel posts + all user comments
✔ Downloads media (photos, videos, files, voice, etc.)

Why it’s ideal

• Treats the discussion as a supergroup, not just a channel

• Preserves:

  • Replies to channel posts

  • Thread structure

  • User names, timestamps

• Incremental backups supported

Output

• 📁 Media files (organized)

• 🌐 Browsable HTML archive

• 🗄️ SQLite database (optional)

Repo: https://github.com/N4rr34n6/TelegramBackup

🥈 tg_history_dumper (Go) — Fast & simple

✔ Works well for large discussion groups
✔ Downloads all media

Pros

• Very fast

• Resumable downloads

• Minimal setup once API keys are ready

Cons

• No fancy HTML browsing (mostly JSON + media)

Repo: https://github.com/3bl3gamer/tg_history_dumper

🥉 telegram-download-chat

✔ Works if you export the discussion group, not the channel
✔ Media supported

Important:
You must pass the discussion group username or ID, not the channel itself.

Output

• JSON / TXT

• Media in folders

Repo: https://github.com/popstas/telegram-download-chat

⚠️ What DOES NOT work well

❌ Telegram Desktop export

• It breaks thread relationships

• Discussion replies lose context

• Media ordering is poor

❌ Bot-based tools

• Bots cannot read discussion groups fully

• Media access is limited

✅ Recommended Setup (Best Path)

If you want correct structure + media, do this:

✅ Use TelegramBackup

High-level steps

1. Get Telegram API credentials
   → https://my.telegram.org → API development tools

2. Clone repo & install dependencies

3. Log in with your Telegram account

4. Set the discussion group as the target

5. Run export

Important detail

• The discussion group usually has a name like:

  nginx
  Copy code
  ChannelName Chat
  

• You must export that group, not the channel.

🧠 Key Tips (Very Important)

✔ Export the discussion group, NOT the channel
✔ You must be a member of the discussion group
✔ Expect large storage usage if media is enabled
✔ Respect Telegram rate limits (don’t run multiple exports in parallel)

🔍 Quick Comparison

If you want, I can:

• Give you exact commands for your OS

• Help you identify the correct discussion group ID

• Show how to limit export size (date/media type)

Just tell me 👍

Here’s a comparative overview of open-source tools for backing up Telegram channels/groups — with pros, cons, and where TelegramBackup stands relative to others.

📊 Top Open-Source Tools for Telegram Backup

(Note: tools like archived “archivebot” are inactive or not focused on full message + media backup.) GitHub

🔎 Tool-by-Tool Breakdown

✅ 1) TelegramBackup — Best Overall for Full Archives

🎯 Best for: Users who want a rich, navigable backup
Strengths

• Complete message + media export

• Preserves replies, reactions, threads, link previews, and service messages

• Outputs HTML browsing interface + SQLite DB

• Incremental backup possible (only new messages)

• Works on chats, channels, supergroups, and discussion groupsGitHub

Weaknesses

• Requires Python setup

• CLI interaction only (no GUI)

• Slightly steeper learning curve than basic tools

Verdict:
⭐ Most comprehensive open-source solution — especially if you need media + threaded replies + browsing UI.

📄 2) telegram-download-chat — Simple Export Utility

🎯 Best for: Fast, basic exports
Strengths

• Exports full history with metadata

• JSON and TXT support

• Optional CLI + GUI modes availableGitHub

Weaknesses

• Doesn’t generate a safe, browsable archive UI

• Less structured than TelegramBackup

Verdict:
👍 Great if you want raw JSON / TXT data with media but don’t need a fancy archive.

🚀 3) tg_history_dumper — Fast CLI Backup

🎯 Best for: Performance and simplicity
Strengths

• Fast streaming of chat history

• Resumes interrupted downloads

• Exports JSON + stores mediaGitHub

Weaknesses

• Basic format (JSON); minimal presentation

• Doesn’t fetch channel comments automatically — needs group join

Verdict:
👌 Good if you want simple machine-readable dump with media.

📦 4) TelegramArchive — Configurable Export

🎯 Best for: Flexible media type filtering
Strengths

• Choose which media to export

• JSON + HTML outputGitHub

Weaknesses

• Smaller community and fewer features than TelegramBackup

Verdict:
📌 Good if you need custom media selection.

📚 5) tg-archive — Static Site Archiver

🎯 Best for: Publishing archives publicly as a static site
Strengths

• Generates static HTML site with media

• RSS feed supportGitHub

Weaknesses

• Less maintained

• Focused on site publishing, not personal backup

Verdict:
🏛 Good for community archives or research projects.

🧠 6) telegram-history-dump (Ruby)

🎯 Best for: Historical scripts
Weaknesses

• Older tool with limited modern support

• Not as actively maintainedGitHub

Verdict:
⚠ Now mostly legacy — not ideal for current Telegram API.

🥇 So — Is TelegramBackup the Best?

✔ Yes, for most use cases where you want

• Full messages + media

• Replies/thread preservation

• Browsable archive UI

• Incremental backups

• Rich metadata handling

It’s generally the most feature-complete open-source solution currently available — especially compared with simpler JSON dumps or static exporters. GitHub

🧠 When You Might Prefer Other Tools

🔹 Want very simple JSON export only?
→ Use telegram-download-chat or tg_history_dumper

🔹 Want static website archive for public sharing?
→ Use tg-archive

🔹 Want configurable media filters?
→ Try TelegramArchive (mo1ein)

🛠️ Final Recommendation Summary

If you want, I can also provide step-by-step setup instructions for any specific tool (e.g., TelegramBackup), tailored to your operating system!

Here’s a clear comparison and explanation of the two additional tools you asked about:

🔹 1) GeiserX / Telegram-Archive

📦 https://github.com/GeiserX/Telegram-Archive

What it is

An open-source Telegram backup system focused on:

• Incremental backups (only new messages since last run)

• Scheduled backups (cron or scheduler)

• Media download

• Local web viewer with a Telegram-like UI

• JSON exports

• Optional public sharing of archived chats (with access control) GitHub

Key Features

✅ Incremental sync (efficient, not re-downloading everything)
✅ Docker-ready (easy deployment)
✅ Web UI to browse chats + media
✅ Playback of audio notes in browser
✅ Export chat history to JSON
✅ Configurable schedule & filters
✅ Option to restrict/whitelist chats to view GitHub

Pros

• Very polished UI compared with CLI-only tools

• Designed for continuous/automated archived backups

• Good media handling and JSON exports

• Can run headlessly (useful for servers/backups)

Cons

• More complex to set up than simple CLI dumps

• Focused on browsing + web view rather than research-ready formats

Best for:
📌 People who want an automated, Telegram-like archive with browser interface and scheduled backups.

🔹 2) osintukraine / tg-archive-original

📦 https://github.com/osintukraine/tg-archive-original

What it is

A fork of the original knadh/tg-archive project — a Python/Telethon based tool that:

• Syncs Telegram chats to a local SQLite DB

• Generates a static website archive (like a mailing list)

• Downloads media and embeds it locally

• Generates indexes by year/month/day

• Supports replies with “in-reply-to” links across pages GitHub

This repository appears to be maintained under the OSINTukraine organization, mainly as a fork/variant of the original tool with specific workflows. GitHub

Key Features

✅ Static site archive of chats
✅ Includes user avatars
✅ Downloads and embeds media
✅ Periodic sync with Telethon
✅ Chat browsing via site pages
✅ RSS/Atom feed generation example GitHub

Pros

• Produces a shareable static website

• Works well for public sharing or OSINT researchers

• Simple concept: good for publishing archives

Cons

• Not focused on incremental scheduled backups like GeiserX

• No rich interactive UI beyond generated HTML

• Project activity depends on the fork status

Best for:
📌 Archiving Telegram chats into a static site, especially if the goal is sharing or public research.

🆚 Tool Comparison

(Note: Discussion thread threading depends on how the tool links replies/messages.)

🧠 Is TelegramBackup Still Best?

It depends on your needs:

✅ Use TelegramBackup if

✔ You want a full archive with easy offline browsing
✔ You need media + reply threading preserved
✔ You want structured DB + HTML pages

👉 Best general archival workflow — especially for long-term storage.

🤖 Use GeiserX/Telegram-Archive if

✔ You want automated scheduled backups
✔ You want a browser UI resembling Telegram
✔ You plan to host and repeatedly update the archive

👉 Best for ongoing backup systems (e.g., service installed on a server).

📜 Use osintukraine/tg-archive-original if

✔ You want static website publishing
✔ You want archives that feel like mailing list sites
✔ You want shareable, easy-to-host pages

👉 Best for OSINT researchers or public archives.

🧠 Summary

If you want, I can show installation steps for whichever tool you choose (e.g., Docker for GeiserX or Python for TelegramBackup) tailored to your OS!