Why is the API key needed for bots?
===================================

Requests against the official bot API endpoints are made via JSON/HTTP and are handled by an intermediate server
application that implements the MTProto protocol and uses its own API key to communicate with the MTProto servers.

.. figure:: //_static/img/mtproto-vs-bot-api.png
    :align: center

Using MTProto is the only way to communicate with the actual Telegram servers, and the main API requires developers to
identify applications by means of a unique key; the bot token identifies a bot as a user and replaces the user's phone
number only.
