getUpdates

This page describes the getUpdates() and getUpdate() functions in zalo-bot-js, used to retrieve updates from the Bot API in a manual polling flow.

If you need full control over the polling loop, offset handling, or timeout values instead of using startPolling(), these functions are the right tools.

Function signatures

getUpdates(
  params?: {
    offset?: number;
    limit?: number;
    timeout?: number;
    allowedUpdates?: string[];
  },
  options?: RequestOptions,
): Promise<Update[]>

getUpdate(
  params?: {
    offset?: number;
    limit?: number;
    timeout?: number;
    allowedUpdates?: string[];
  },
  options?: RequestOptions,
): Promise<Update | undefined>

Difference between getUpdates() and getUpdate()

• getUpdates() returns a list of Update[]
• getUpdate() is a thin helper that returns the first item from getUpdates()

When to use them

• build your own polling loop
• debug the update flow
• control offset, timeout, and limit manually

Example with getUpdates()

import "dotenv/config";
import { Bot } from "zalo-bot-js";

const bot = new Bot({ token: process.env.ZALO_BOT_TOKEN! });

async function main() {
  const updates = await bot.getUpdates({
    timeout: 30,
    limit: 10,
  });

  for (const update of updates) {
    console.log({
      updateId: update.updateId,
      eventTypes: update.eventTypes,
      text: update.message?.text ?? null,
    });
  }
}

void main();

Example with getUpdate()

const update = await bot.getUpdate({ timeout: 30 });

if (update?.message) {
  console.log(update.message.text);
}

Relationship with startPolling()

startPolling() uses getUpdates() internally to receive updates continuously.

Practical notes

• if you write manual polling, update offset to avoid re-reading old updates
• eventTypes are derived by the SDK from message content, such as message, text, command, photo, and sticker

Next

• See processUpdate if you want to feed payloads into the SDK event system.
• See startPolling if you want the built-in polling runtime.

Last updated: April 5, 2026