I got tired of opening browser tabs just to test a regex or format some JSON. So I built a Telegram bot that does it all in-chat.
What It Does
@Devtoolkit26_bot — message it on Telegram and use these commands:
-
/regex pattern text— Test regex patterns instantly -
/json {"key": "value"}— Format and validate JSON -
/base64e text— Encode to base64 -
/base64d encoded— Decode from base64 -
/wordcount text— Count words, characters, lines, sentences -
/hash text— Generate MD5 + SHA256 hashes -
/uuid— Generate a random UUID -
/timestamp— Current UTC time in multiple formats -
/urlencode text— URL encode/decode
Why Telegram?
- No context switching — test things without leaving your chat
- Works on mobile — useful when you're reviewing code on your phone
- Shareable — send it to your team, everyone gets it instantly
- Free — 20 uses per day, unlimited with Telegram Stars
How I Built It
Python + python-telegram-bot library. The whole thing is under 300 lines:
from telegram import Update
from telegram.ext import Application, CommandHandler
async def regex_test(update, ctx):
text = update.message.text.replace("/regex", "", 1).strip()
parts = text.split(" ", 1)
pattern, search_text = parts[0], parts[1]
matches = re.findall(pattern, search_text)
await update.message.reply_text(f"Matches: {matches}")
app = Application.builder().token(TOKEN).build()
app.add_handler(CommandHandler("regex", regex_test))
app.run_polling()
Each command is a simple function that parses input, does the operation, and returns the result. No database, no external APIs, no hosting costs.
Try It
Open Telegram and search for @Devtoolkit26_bot, or click: https://t.me/Devtoolkit26_bot
Send /start to see all commands.
If you're building Python tools, check out my Python Automation Toolkit — 10 standalone scripts for common dev tasks. Also: Regex Pattern Cookbook with 50 production patterns.
