{
  "id": 15266465,
  "title": "Telegram Serverless vs. Two VPSs: What the Benchmarks Actually Show",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/telegram-serverless-vs-two-vpss-what-the-benchmarks-actually-show",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-17T20:02:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/jabrailkhalil/telegram-serverless-vs-two-vpss-what-the-benchmarks-actually-show-44p8"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In July 2026, Telegram invited participants to test their serverless infrastructure. The setup included a bot, database and Mini App, running on Telegram's servers. The bot allowed users to water a virtual tree, while the Mini App was hosted on Telegram's platform. Two VPSs were also available, one in Finland and one in Germany. The question was whether Telegram's serverless option would be beneficial for a small Telegram app.\n\nServerless differs from VPSs in that the user's code still runs on a server, but the hosting provider manages the server. With VPSs, the user sets up the runtime, starts the application and ensures it recovers if it stops. With serverless, the user uploads the code and the server runs it when an update or API call arrives.\n\nThe bot, database and Mini App all ran on Telegram's infrastructure. The bot was tested with a watering mechanism that contributed 120 growth units over two minutes. The database used SQLite, and the Mini App had an HTTPS address. Telegram verifies Telegram user data before the server-side endpoint receives it, with a trade-off in that server-side code uses JavaScript and Telegram's SDK, with a limit of 30 MB for external HTTP responses.\n\nThe benchmark tests showed that for database operations such as read, insert and replay events, both VPSs were faster. However, for CPU work, JSON processing and batch inserts, Telegram's serverless performed better. When the garden got bigger, the Telegram serverless query exceeded its row limit, while the VPSs handled the queries successfully. A single insert of 10,000 rows succeeded, but 10,001 was rejected, with no partial insert left behind. The test results indicated that Telegram's serverless might be more efficient for certain types of operations, but it may have limitations when dealing with larger datasets.",
  "summary": "In July 2026, Telegram began inviting some of its contest participants into a private Serverless test . The pitch is straightforward: put your bot's code and database on Telegram's infrastructure. On October 6, Mini App hosting joined the package , so the interface can live there too. I got access, and I already had two VPSs, one in Finland and one in Germany. That gave me a practical question:…",
  "key_points": [
    "Telegram serverless infrastructure tested with bot, database, and Mini App",
    "VPSs in Finland and Germany available for comparison",
    "Serverless outperformed VPSs in CPU work, JSON processing, and batch inserts"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}