Please publish the source code of Telegram servers as well as other services related to Telegram under a free license (e. g. APGLv3).
Back in 2014, the Telegram FAQ stated (https://web.archive.org/web/20140309205427/https://telegram.org/faq#q-why-not-open-source-everything) that "all code will be released eventually". However, today the server-side source code is still closed and proprietary, and the mention of intentions to open it has disappeared from the FAQ. We don't want to believe that the team of our favorite messenger has abandoned these plans forever.
We think that listing the reasons why Telegram should open source its servers is not necessary, because we are sure that both Pavel Durov and the messenger team have heard about them more than once: from the community's help in improving security and reliability to many other takes. However, we believe that this will have a positive impact on the image of Telegram, as well as help reduce unnecessary criticism of it in terms of the already mentioned security and other aspects.
Pavel Durov stated (https://t.me/durovschat/515221) that he decided to "hold on these plans" due to the fact that "some authoritarian regime" wanted to create a clone application, while blocking access to Telegram. We are not going to question this, but we want to note that the main thing in the messenger, in addition to its convenience and reliability, is its users — whether they are people who tell their beloved mother what they have eaten, or those who run the most popular channels and chat with their subscribers. And what Telegram has and what such evil clones will never have is the trust of people. If they came to Telegram because of their trust in it, then we don’t think that at least one of them will ever look towards such clones. Therefore, none of them will ever be able to succeed in their mission.
In a few months, Telegram will celebrate 10 years since its creation. Over these years, it has managed to become one of the most popular instant messengers and applications in general (something that we are all happy about, and especially all those who have contributed to its development) and we are sure that it will be able to achieve even more in the future. So maybe it's time to get these noble plans out of the drawer? This will be a very nice gift for both Telegram and its beloved community.
Log in here to report bugs or suggest features. Please enter your phone number in the international format and we will send a confirmation message to your account via Telegram.