⚡ layer
A modular, production-grade async Rust implementation of the Telegram MTProto protocol
layer is a hand-written, bottom-up implementation of Telegram MTProto in pure Rust. Every component — from the .tl schema parser, to AES-IGE encryption, to the Diffie-Hellman key exchange, to the typed async update stream — is owned and understood by this project.
No black boxes. No magic. Just Rust, all the way down.
Why layer?
Most Telegram libraries are thin wrappers around generated code or ports from Python/JavaScript. layer is different — it was built from scratch to understand MTProto at the lowest level, then wrapped in an ergonomic high-level API.
Pure Rust
No FFI, no unsafe blocks. Fully async with Tokio. Works on Android (Termux), Linux, macOS, Windows.
Full MTProto 2.0
Complete DH handshake, AES-IGE encryption, salt tracking, DC migration — all handled automatically.
User + Bot Auth
Phone login with 2FA SRP, bot token login, session persistence across restarts.
Typed Update Stream
NewMessage, MessageEdited, CallbackQuery, InlineQuery — all as strongly typed Rust enums.
Raw API Escape Hatch
Call any of 500+ Telegram API methods directly via
client.invoke() with full type safety.Auto-Generated Types
All 2,300+ Layer 223 constructors generated at build time from the official TL schema.
Crate overview
| Crate | Description | Typical user |
|---|---|---|
layer-client | High-level async client — auth, send, receive, bots | ✅ You |
layer-tl-types | All Layer 223 constructors, functions, enums | Raw API calls |
layer-mtproto | MTProto session, DH, framing, transport | Library authors |
layer-crypto | AES-IGE, RSA, SHA, auth key derivation | Internal |
layer-tl-gen | Build-time Rust code generator | Build tool |
layer-tl-parser | .tl schema → AST parser | Build tool |
TIP: Most users only ever import
layer-client. The other crates are either used internally or for advanced raw API calls.
Quick install
[dependencies]
layer-client = "0.2.2"
tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }
Then head to Installation for credentials setup, or jump straight to:
- Quick Start — User Account — login, send a message, receive updates
- Quick Start — Bot — bot token login, commands, callbacks