startPolling

This page describes the startPolling(), stopPolling(), and isPolling() functions in zalo-bot-js, used to run the bot in polling mode.

If you want the SDK to fetch updates continuously without webhook infrastructure, this is the main runtime API to use.

Function signatures

startPolling(options?: PollingOptions): Promise<void>

stopPolling(): void

isPolling(): boolean

When to use polling

• local development
• environments without a public webhook URL
• quick bot testing before production deployment

Example

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

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

bot.on("text", async (message) => {
  await bot.sendMessage(message.chat.id, `You said: ${message.text}`);
});

await bot.startPolling({
  timeoutSeconds: 30,
});

Useful options

• timeoutSeconds
• retryDelayMs
• allowedUpdates
• onUpdate

Practical notes

• startPolling() internally calls initialize()
• the SDK automatically manages update offsets while polling
• if you need full manual control, use getUpdates

Next

• See getUpdates for manual polling.
• See processUpdate to understand how each update is handled.

Last updated: April 5, 2026