Answers about Testgram, the open source messenger this site documents.
Testgram is a self-hosted messaging server that speaks the MTProto protocol, the same protocol Telegram uses. You can run it yourself and point a compatible client at it. This site is one such deployment.
Clients that work against a Testgram server include the Android app and the desktop app we publish on the apps page.
For anyone who wants their own messaging server instead of relying on a large central one. Testgram is useful if you care about controlling your own data, want to experiment with the protocol, or need a deployment you can inspect end to end.
Testgram is an independent, self-hosted implementation. You choose where it runs and who operates it. Telegram is a single service run by one company. Because Testgram reuses open source Telegram codebases, existing MTProto clients can connect to it, but the server and its data are yours.
No. Testgram is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operated by Telegram. This site documents an independent deployment of the open source server.
Testgram has no single headquarters, because a Testgram server is wherever you put it. The operator of this particular deployment has not published its location.
This deployment is not run for profit and carries no advertising. Premium is implemented on the server and is currently granted automatically when you register, at no cost. Charging for it is planned for later, so there is no paid tier to buy today.
Whoever operates a server can read the data that passes through it. That is the trade-off of running your own. Self-hosting means the operator is you, and you can see exactly what is stored and for how long.
Messages sent between users are encrypted in transit and at rest using the MTProto protocol. A server operator can still see message content that passes through their infrastructure, so treat your deployment as private, not as a secrecy guarantee.
Because the operator controls the data, the operator is the one who has to answer data subject requests. If you run your own server, that responsibility is yours. This deployment is intended for private and small-group use rather than large-scale consumer messaging.
Anyone who has an account on the same Testgram server. Accounts are created on the server itself, so you need the operator of your deployment to add you.
No. Testgram does not deliver SMS codes on behalf of other services, and it has no message bots for that purpose.
Android and desktop, listed on the apps page. Both update themselves over the air from this site, so a new release reaches installed clients without an app store.
A username is a short public handle on the server that lets people find you without knowing your phone number. On this deployment, usernames live under this site's own address rather than a separate short-link domain.
No. You can be found by your phone number alone. A username is optional and can be added or removed at any time.
Letters, digits and underscores, at least five characters. Usernames are case-insensitive.
Remove it in your profile settings. It becomes available for someone else to claim right away.
Transport is encrypted with MTProto, and the server implementation is open source so it can be audited. The server is the trust boundary: whoever operates it can read traffic. Security here means you control the machine, not that nobody can ever see your messages.
Besides your login code, you set a password that protects your account's cloud chats. If someone gets your login code without that password, your chats stay out of reach. Do not lose it: it cannot be reset by the server operator.
Accounts and their credentials, chat metadata, message content, and uploaded files. Uploaded files are held in object storage and served from this domain. The operator decides retention; there is no automated expiry unless one is configured.
Yes. Registration is open. Use the code bot at @gramtestcodebot to receive your login code, then sign in with any Testgram-compatible client.
Ask the operator. Account removal is an operator-side action on a self-hosted server.
Check that the server address in your app matches this site exactly, including the scheme. A client pointed at the default public address will not find a self-hosted server.
Directly from this site. Android is an APK download; desktop builds are listed under downloads. There is no app store listing.
No official iOS build is published here. The link on the apps page points at the public App Store listing for the upstream Telegram app, which will not connect to a self-hosted server.
Yes. The server and the clients we publish are on GitHub, and the desktop app is built on the public TDesktop codebase. Links are on the apps page.
They are not. This site is the only source of Testgram downloads and announcements for this deployment.