The latest articles on DEV Community by Aryan (@imaryannn). https://dev.to/imaryannn https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F3815102%2F1d54370a-504e-4cb8-b5a9-b66ecf7353d4.jpeg https://dev.to/imaryannn en Aryan Sun, 03 May 2026 13:44:21 +0000 https://dev.to/imaryannn/i-built-a-free-unlimited-cloud-storage-app-2fi0 https://dev.to/imaryannn/i-built-a-free-unlimited-cloud-storage-app-2fi0 <p>I built a free, unlimited cloud storage app using Telegram's API</p> <p>TelStorage is live at <a href="https://telstorage.vercel.app/" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://telstorage.vercel.app/</a> — free forever, no sign-up required beyond your Telegram credentials.</p> <p>The Problem<br> I kept hitting storage limits on Google Drive. iCloud wanted a monthly fee. Dropbox was too restrictive on the free tier. Then I realized — Telegram already provides unlimited cloud storage to every user. It just had no proper interface for managing files like a drive.</p> <p>What I built<br> TelStorage is a web app that connects to your Telegram account via the MTProto API and gives you a Google Drive-style interface to manage all your files — completely free, with no storage limits.</p> <p>Features<br> Upload any file — images, videos, documents, and more<br> Organize files into folders<br> Instant file search<br> Cross-device access — desktop, mobile, tablet<br> End-to-end encrypted via Telegram's infrastructure<br> No subscription, no storage cap, no data stored on my servers<br> How it works technically<br> Users authenticate using their own Telegram API_ID and API_HASH obtained from my.telegram.org. This means:</p> <p>All files go directly into the user's own Telegram account<br> I never touch or store anyone's files<br> No third-party storage infrastructure needed<br> The app talks to Telegram's MTProto API to upload, list, and retrieve files — essentially turning Telegram's "Saved Messages" into a structured file system with folders and metadata.</p> <p>Challenges I faced<br> Handling large file uploads within Telegram's chunked upload limits<br> Building a folder system on top of a flat message-based structure<br> Keeping the auth flow smooth and secure for non-technical users<br> Optimizing file streaming for large video files<br> What's next<br> I'm actively working on drag-and-drop folder management, file previews, and a shareable link feature. Feedback from the dev community would genuinely help shape what gets built next.</p> <p>Try it / Give feedback</p> <p>Live app and feedback form below — all responses are read personally.</p> <div class="crayons-card c-embed text-styles text-styles--secondary"> <div class="c-embed__content"> <div class="c-embed__cover"> <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdl_d9npTxXhUiqG5fxU-6Qt6Ni8LiBX-5zXl5_3hQL6L9ToA/viewform?usp=send_form" class="c-link align-middle" rel="noopener noreferrer"> <img alt="" src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2FyQAth8JPcM2BM1wEctn4EnCfrkbq-Xsbg-8HStQe09ESVmgL7JZi2KylCCqgLvIGaZbprD19d6zHfKA%3Dw1200-h630-p" height="630" class="m-0" width="1200"> </a> </div> <div class="c-embed__body"> <h2 class="fs-xl lh-tight"> <a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdl_d9npTxXhUiqG5fxU-6Qt6Ni8LiBX-5zXl5_3hQL6L9ToA/viewform?usp=send_form" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="c-link"> TelStorage — Share Your Feedback </a> </h2> <div class="color-secondary fs-s flex items-center"> <img alt="favicon" class="c-embed__favicon m-0 mr-2 radius-0" src="https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=800%2Cheight=%2Cfit=scale-down%2Cgravity=auto%2Cformat=auto/https%3A%2F%2Fssl.gstatic.com%2Fdocs%2Fspreadsheets%2Fforms%2Ffavicon_qp2.png" width="16" height="16"> docs.google.com </div> </div> </div> </div> <p>Feedback form<br> Happy to answer questions about the architecture, Telegram's API quirks, or anything else in the comments. Would love to hear what the dev.to community thinks!</p> webdev programming cloudstorage telegram