Platformer β // Mini Apps Ecosystem 🦄

🔥 Splash screen configuration is live! Yesterday, we finalized a new feature — Platformer launcher icon configuration. You are now free to upload your own icon, making the launcher more personal! ✨ The next feature As stated in the previous post, the next feature we are working on is Stored Data Procedures. We decided to craft a stronger implementation of Stored Data, allowing developers to return not only static, but also dynamic data. All this to help developers avoid running their own backend servers for simple logic! Here is some information on how we see it: — Stored Procedures are managed in the admin panel and written in pure JavaScript (both ES5 and ES6). — No imports are allowed, nor are Node or browser-specific functionality such as fetch. — Stored Procedures are called by developers' mini apps. To call them, a mini app must use Platformer's own SDK, presented as an npm package. As you can see, we have a lot to do. But we are pretty sure it is worth it 👨‍💻

Hey folks! Long time no see 🙂 Due to some reasons, we had to delay Platformer development, but we are finally back now! During this time, we have made some changes and would like to tell you more about them. We also have an important announcement and future plans. Latest Changes As some of you may have already noticed, the admin panel was visually updated. We’ve developed a new UI Kit and switched to it. The important note here is that some problems preventing the normal interface from functioning were also fixed. The second important update is that the launcher was also reworked. The following changes have been made in this area: 1. The UI was updated to improve the user experience. 2. The Platformer disclaimer "Works on Platformer" in the bottom part of the UI was removed. In future updates, we are going to work on personalizing the launcher to make it "your own" 😬 As a part of the latest updates, we should also mention some adjustments on our server side leading to a dramatic increase in request processing speed. You can already see the results in the admin panel. This update will increase application display speed. Last but not least — we’ve solved a problem related to transmitting launch parameters to the query parameters. Let us remind those who have forgotten — Platformer allows the option for your server to use SSR (Server-Side Rendering). This option is now an option of the launcher, not the application. So you should go to the Launcher configuration screen, enable the option, copy the launcher URL and use it in @BotFather — or just add the query_lp=1 query parameter to the launcher URL. Subscription Removed Yes, we did what it says. Subscriptions were completely wiped from the project, so now everybody can use Platformer to its max 👨‍💻 Future Plans Now let’s talk about what will be introduced in Platformer in the near future. We understand that having a third-party brand in your application is not something a serious project would like to have. For this reason, we are going to implement the functionality to modify the launcher icon, visually making the launcher the project's own. After this update, the launcher will look seamless and like a part of the project. The next important update to be implemented is Stored Data. Platformer will allow developers to store some data on its side. What does this mean for projects? They will be allowed to request this data dynamically from Platformer right in the application, so they don’t have to have their own backend servers in some cases. Think of some JSONs that may be updated by you in the admin panel without redeploying the app. If you have had experience with VK Mini Apps, you already know what Stored Procedures are. They are the next evolutionary step of Platformer’s Stored Data. Allowing code to be executed dynamically on Platformer’s side, they solve a wide range of problems. For now, we want to implement a simpler functionality with future expansion. That’s all for now. We will reveal more plans when the aforementioned features are implemented. Stay tuned 🥸

😇 Sorry for the delay! As you may have noticed, we’ve been quiet for a while. That’s because we’ve been focused not only on implementing new features but also on improving and stabilizing the current ones. Here’s what we’ve been working on: 1. Migrating from Solid.js to Vue.js in the Telegram launcher and admin panel. This change was necessary to simplify future maintenance for both components. 2. Implementing a subscription mechanism. Both tasks are now complete, and you can already see the results in the Platformer admin panel (https://t.me/platformer_robot/admin). Additionally, while the Telegram launcher’s source code has always been open (GitHub), we’ve now decided to open-source the mini-app for the admin panel as well. You can find it here: GitHub. Try out the new features, stay tuned for minor updates, and expect some bigger news soon!

✍️ Documentation is ready! We know that trying to explore Platformer's features and inner workings through a Telegram channel is both hilarious and bizarre. That’s why we’ve laid the foundation for a future centralized documentation hub, which already covers Platformer's core functionality and explains how to get started with the project. To keep things from feeling too dry, we'll enhance this documentation with infographics in the future. But for now, this should be enough to get you familiar with Platformer. The documentation is available in both Russian and English, and you can start here: https://docs.mini-apps.store/about! According to our plan, we’re aiming for a full release this month—so stay tuned, friends.

🔥 Pre-release Huge Update! Exactly one month ago, we announced that May would be the month of intense development to significantly improve Platformer and make it far more functional. Well, here we are — we’ve just released the biggest update in Platformer’s history. In this post, we’ll walk you through the massive new features that come with it. Before diving into what’s changed, a quick reminder: during the beta, Platformer is completely free to use. That means you can enjoy all its features at no cost. However, Platformer is self-funded — there’s no external sponsorship. Some advanced features will eventually become available only via a monthly subscription. These subscriptions will not only raise usage limits but also unlock new, unannounced features. So take this opportunity to try Platformer for free! Although we initially planned for this update to mark the official release, we’ve decided to take a little more time to polish the product and ensure top quality. Until then, explore Platformer, share your ideas, and report any issues you encounter. The admin panel, as usual, is right here. Now, let’s get into the updates! 🌐 Localization We know a large portion of our users are Russian-speaking. That’s why we’ve localized the admin panel — it’s now available in Russian. Prefer English? Just head to My Profile (formerly Account) and change your interface language. 📩 Application Transfers You can now transfer app ownership to another user. To do so, you must be the current app owner, and the recipient must have a free slot. Platformer creates a transfer request, which the recipient must accept. Once accepted, the recipient becomes the owner, and you become an admin. Transfer requests can be found in a new section on the main page called App Transfer Requests. 🔒 Privacy Settings You can now manage whether you want to receive: — App management invites — App transfer requests These are disabled by default, so make sure to enable them if you want to participate. 🧹 Cache Reset Tired of Telegram clients caching your app? Now you can force them to reload new assets by using the Reset URL Cache option in the app information section. Platformer appends a special query parameter to your URLs. This tricks Telegram into treating them as fresh links. 🧪 Test Groups with Multiple Platforms Based on your feedback, test groups can now target multiple platforms at once. No more duplicating test groups for each client — just create one and select all the platforms you need. Note: after this update, existing test groups require you to reassign platforms, as backward compatibility was broken. ⚙️ SSR Support We’ve enabled support for Server-Side Rendering (SSR) — great news for developers using frameworks like Next.js. You can now pass Telegram launch parameters as query parameters directly to your server. Just go to App Information → Telegram → Integration and enable Proxy launch parameters. 🔍 URL Viewer Meet the URL Viewer — a new tool that helps you debug and understand which URL is returned for a specific user on each platform, and why. Find it in the Application Information section. ✨ Quality of Life Improvements We’ve made various small UI and UX improvements, fixed minor issues, and added subtle new features that you’ll discover as you use the platform. What’s Next? We’ve got big plans ahead. Before the full release, we’ll finalize our monetization strategy and introduce reasonable subscriptions. After that, we’ll begin work on a major new feature — giving developers a way to monetize their apps more easily. This one’s complex, but we believe it’s going to be a game-changer. And once Platformer is a strong foundation for mini apps on Telegram, we’ll be ready to unveil an even larger project that expands the vision of Platformer beyond developers — making mini apps more accessible to everyday users too. But that’s a story for another episode. Thanks for using Platformer — and stay tuned! 😜

📱 Android UI is out! Three days later, we’ve finally implemented Platformer’s UI for Android — Android users will now see an interface specifically tailored for Android devices. Meanwhile, we’ve chosen to keep the iOS design for all other platforms. In developing the new UI, we used the Conditional Build-Time Substitution approach described in our previous post. This method allows us to maintain a single codebase while building different versions of the application for different platforms. Since this feature is still a work in progress, you might encounter related issues — please let us know in the chat or comments if you notice anything unexpected. Also, since most of our team members are Apple users, it's possible we’ve implemented certain aspects of the Android UI incorrectly, so your feedback is especially welcome. As mentioned earlier, the Platformer admin panel shares the same launcher and related functionality. So, when you open the application in Telegram for Android, your device will load the bundle for the Android version of the admin panel. Opening the app on any other platform will load the iOS-style bundle. Just a reminder — you can also configure separate URLs for each platform yourself! Admin panel is right 👉 here. ❓ What’s Next? Implementing a separate bundle for Android is a big step — not just because it improves the user experience, but because it sets an example for developers on how to structure platform-specific mini apps using Platformer. That said, the biggest and most important task before our official release is still ahead. This month, we’re preparing a major update that will introduce a host of new features and completely rework some of Platformer’s core functionality, while also refining many of the existing tools. Since this release will mark Platformer’s transition out of beta, and to ensure a higher level of data security, we’ll be purging the current database. This means you’ll need to recreate your applications. More information will be shared closer to the update. That’s all for now — thanks for building with Platformer! ✈️

🖥 Status Update #5 Hey devs! We have some news for you 🍷 The past two weeks have been pretty important — not just for Platformer, but also for Telegram Mini Apps. We’ve been compiling this list of the most critical issues affecting the platform and sent it directly to Pavel Durov. That’s why we didn’t have as much time to work on Platformer’s Android UI. Nevertheless, we still made huge progress improving Platformer, and here are the highlights: 🚀 Launcher Improvements The Telegram launcher UI and UX have been improved: — We've added Russian translations and updated some English text for better clarity. — Users can now restart the application without needing to press "Reload Page" or close and reopen the app — simply by pressing the Main Button labeled "Try Again." — The launcher now includes a hiding animation for a smoother transition to your application. Also, console logs related to the launcher have been refined to better explain what’s happening internally. ⚙️ Conditional Build-Time Substitution We call this approach Conditional Build-Time Substitution. It determines which component to render at build time. This method allows developers to create separate applications for different Telegram clients and link them using one of Platformer’s coolest features: separate links for different platforms. This technique not only improves user experience by reducing bundle sizes but also does so without adding overhead for developers. You aren’t actually building six different applications — you’re building one that adapts smartly. Don't confuse this with isomorphic components — it’s something entirely different (and better). This idea is still work in progress, but you can already check out Vladislav’s post about it to learn more! ——— Over the past couple of weeks, some really exciting ideas for solving Telegram Mini Apps challenges have emerged within the team — and you’ll be seeing them soon. Now it’s time to shift our focus back to the Android UI. Thanks for your attention, and stay tuned! 🙂

🧑‍💻 Status Update #4 Last week, we concentrated on improving the overall UX and tackling several backend issues. ⚠️ Old Launcher No Longer Supported If you're still using the previous version of the Telegram launcher (platformer-tg-launcher) via this URL, it’s time to switch — the old version has been fully disabled and will no longer receive support. Please migrate to the updated version now hosted in our monorepo: New Telegram Launcher 🎨 UI/UX Enhancements - We added a Launcher Configuration section in the app’s information page to help you find the correct launcher URL quickly. - You can now enable Single URL mode to avoid setting a separate URL for each Telegram client — much simpler! - Also, to clear up confusion around how HTTP links behave, we added helpful warnings within the app interface. 🤤 What’s Next? This week we’re shifting focus to improving the Android UI. After that, we’ll dive into broader changes in Platformer’s functionality. Both this month and the next will be significant in shaping what’s next. That’s all for now — have a great week! ✨

👨‍💻 Status Update #3 Bugfixes Last week, we focused heavily on resolving issues related to Platformer’s Telegram application launcher—and made significant progress. While we addressed some critical problems within the launcher itself, we also identified and resolved issues tied to both Telegram for macOS and Telegram Web K. These platforms either don’t support certain Mini App methods or handle them incorrectly. In short, the problems stem from long-standing bugs within the clients themselves. Since one of the launcher's goals is to shield developers from platform-specific inconsistencies, it now handles these issues gracefully—so you don’t have to. If you’re curious about what exactly behaves incorrectly in the Telegram clients, here’s a breakdown: — Telegram for macOS: The client emits an event called content_safe_area_changed instead of the expected safe_area_changed when the web_app_request_safe_area method is called. If you’re using @telegram-apps/sdk and mounting the viewport, your app may freeze. Additionally, the client does not emit the theme_changed event in response to the web_app_request_theme method. — Telegram Web K: This client does not support the web_app_request_content_safe_area or web_app_request_safe_area methods at all. Improvements — The applications list UI has been slightly redesigned, including a hint about the maximum number of apps allowed. — You can now delete apps directly from the app information section. — The app managers list has been reworked for better clarity. — A new hint has been added to the app URLs page explaining how they function. — Test group creation and update UIs have been improved. You can also now delete test groups. We’ll continue focusing on UI/UX improvements over the next week or two to enhance your experience. After that, we’ll be sharing more about our future plans. Thanks for building with Platformer! 🦄

👨‍💻 Status Update #2 Hey devs! Lately, we’ve been focusing on improving the project’s code quality. While this isn’t about adding new features, it brings significant Quality of Life improvements. Here’s what’s new: ⚠️ platformer-tg-launcher Repository Deprecated We’ve deprecated and archived the platformer-tg-launcher repository, moving it to a monorepo. The existing launcher link remains active, but we encourage you to switch to the new version, which we’ll cover in the next updates section. ⭐️ Platformer Client Monorepo We’ve created a new repository that consolidates both the admin panel and launcher: platformer-monorepo. — The updated documentation for the launcher is now available here. — If you run into any issues, check out the new Troubleshooting section. This monorepo includes: — UI Kit – We are building our own Telegram UI Kit, inspired by the @wallet internal design system, and making it open source. While it’s not production-ready yet, you can explore its approach and potentially contribute or use parts of it in your own project. — Solid, SWR, and GraphQL Utilities – We’ve developed custom SWR utilities, Solid.js functions, and handy tools for working with GraphQL. — Telegram Launcher – The launcher has now found its home in this monorepo. 🖥 Upcoming Updates — We plan to enhance the launcher to improve the launch process. — After that, we’ll tackle backlog tasks, including new features and bug fixes. That’s all for now. Thanks for using Platformer, and have a great day!

🥸 How to Get Started 1. Open the admin panel. 2. Go to the Applications section and create a new application. Write down its numeric identifier—you’ll need it for the Platformer launcher. 3. If you don’t have a Telegram mini app yet, go to @BotFather, create a new bot, then create a new mini app. For the mini app link, use: https://platformer-hq.github.io/platformer-tg-launcher/?app_id={your Platformer app ID} 4. Take note of your Telegram Bot ID, then go to your Platformer app’s General Information section and enter the Bot ID there. 5. Go to URL settings and specify the links you want Platformer to use when displaying your app. 6. Open your mini app and check that it displays the client-based link you set in the previous step. ⚠️ Additional Notes — Platformer won’t work properly with the Telegram SDK in some cases. This isn’t due to Platformer itself but rather because certain Telegram clients don’t handle multiple iframes correctly. If you use telegram-apps/sdk@3, you won’t have any issues. — Unlike Telegram, Platformer won’t display your application until you call the web_app_ready event—so make sure to do that. — If you’re using telegram-apps/sdk, set the correct targetOrigin to allow the SDK to communicate with the Platformer launcher. Use the following code: import { targetOrigin } from '@telegram-apps/sdk'; targetOrigin.set('https://platformer-hq.github.io'); 💭 Conclusion That’s all for now! If you have any questions, join our chat, and have a great weekend exploring Platformer! 🦄

⚡️ Platformer Open Beta Starts Today Hey devs, Vlad here. One month after the closed beta launch, we’ve finally completed the MVP version of the administrative panel UI, and now everyone is free to join Platformer and give it a try! Keep in mind that this is just an MVP, so don’t expect too much from it. I’m sure there are still some bugs in the UI. The Android version will be released later, so for now, Android users will have to work with iOS components. Don’t worry—we’ve already gathered a backlog of necessary project changes to address some logical inconsistencies and UI improvements. We’ll start working on them soon, but in the meantime, we’d love to hear your feedback on useful changes and any bugs you find. You can share your thoughts in our chat. 💬 What is Platformer? Not all developers fully understand what Platformer is, its purpose, what it can and can’t do, or how to use it. Some assume it was built only for Telegram Mini Apps, which isn’t entirely true. ⭐️ Platformer is a mini app platform Platformer has its own database of mini applications registered by developers. To Platformer, mini apps are simply database records, each with URLs assigned for different mini app platforms. Since Platformer doesn’t have its own dedicated space to display applications, it relies on other mini app platforms like VK, Telegram, and more. So, when creating a mini app, don’t think, “I’ll create a mini app in Telegram and then connect it to Platformer.” Instead, the correct approach is, “I’ll create an app in Platformer, and then it can be displayed in Telegram.” However, you can still create a mini app in Telegram first and then connect it to Platformer. ✨ What problems does Platformer solve? Platformer addresses the most common challenges in mini app development while also providing essential features for mini app developers—all across supported platforms. Currently, Platformer offers: — A launcher (https://github.com/platformer-hq/platformer-tg-launcher) that opens Platformer applications in Telegram. The launcher is open-source. — Separate links for different Telegram clients. For example, you can assign a link specifically for Telegram Web K, ensuring the app is only accessible in that client. Users on other clients will receive a notification about the app’s unavailability. — A management system that lets you invite other users to manage your application. You can also transfer app ownership if needed. — Test groups that allow you to display a specific URL to selected users on a specific platform. For example, you can use a development URL while still opening the same application. — HTTP link support. Unlike Telegram, which doesn’t support HTTP links, Platformer does—allowing you to open your app in development mode without third-party services like Cloudflare, tmole, ngrok, or localtunnel.

🥳 Happy Birthday, Vlad Today is an important day for one of the most notable members of our team. Of course, we are talking about Vladislav! Exactly 29 years ago, Vlad was born into this world, not only to live his life but also to bring something useful to the community. And we’re not just talking about Platformer, but also a wide range of other helpful products for developers, as well as his time spent entertaining and educating others. On behalf of the team and community, we would like to extend a big thank you for the impact you have made. We wish you good health, stability in both your financial and personal life, and continued success! We also have an important announcement from Vlad and the developers regarding Platformer: The UI is ready. I’m going to check if everything is fine this week, and then we are ready to release it. So, this week, we will see the UI in production. We will also open the beta to everyone. It says what it says: Complete open beta MVP release this week!

👨‍💻 Status Update #1 Hey devs! Did you miss us? We hope so. In this post, we’d like to share a quick update on our current development progress. Admin Panel UI As mentioned earlier, we’re set to release an MVP version of the administrative panel this month. This initial version will use iOS components to provide a minimal working product and eliminate the need to interact with the GraphQL schema directly. We already have something to show! Check out the attachments above for a sneak peek at the UI, which is now working with real data. While there’s still plenty to do, we’ve completed more than 50% of the UI and are on track to release it by the end of the month. HTTP Links Allowed By default, @BotFather doesn’t allow HTTP links—but Platformer does. We believe this feature is highly useful during development, which is why we’ve enabled it. Why does this matter? If your development server uses a custom SSL certificate generated with a tool like mkcert, your mobile device won’t accept it. This means you can’t test your app without relying on third-party tunnels like Tmole, Ngrok, or Localtunnel. To bypass this, you can expose your development server to your local network, allowing mobile devices on the same network to access it. Here’s how to do it using Vite: import { defineConfig } from 'vite'; export default defineConfig({ server: { host: true } }); This will generate the following output: VITE v5.4.14 ready in 724 ms ➜ Local: http://localhost:5173/ ➜ Network: http://192.168.1.2:5173/ ➜ press h + enter to show help Now, take your network IP (http://192.168.1.2:5173/ in this example) and specify it in the Platformer URL settings. Voilà! Your mobile device can now access the application. How does Platformer handle HTTP links? Since embedding HTTP links in an iframe is prohibited by the web environment, the Platformer launcher simply redirects users to the HTTP URL instead, making it work seamlessly. However, we don’t recommend using HTTP links outside of development, as they degrade the user experience. Also, this method won’t work in Web K or Web A versions because the launcher itself is inside an HTTPS iframe, which cannot redirect users to an HTTP link. We have some ideas to work around this but will explore them after the release. Bug Fixes We’ve fixed several important issues related to both the Platformer launcher and server, so some previous problems should now be resolved. That’s it for now! We’re working hard to meet our deadline and will keep you updated. Stay tuned! 🚀

✍️ Acceptance Clarification We've noticed that some applicants for the closed beta expected to receive a specific notification about their acceptance. However, we do not have a private channel for sending such notifications. To check if you’ve been approved as an early adopter, simply visit the temporary dedicated application. If you’re eligible to use Platformer, you will see an access token. Today, we received many additional requests and have decided to approve them as well. Those users are now free to start exploring Platformer 😉

🦄 Ready... Set... Go! Beta has started! This weekend, we finalized the first Platformer closed beta release, and the server is now ready to accept connections. All closed beta test requests have been processed, and all compatible users have been added to the API whitelist. If you missed the beta form, you can still apply here: Beta Form. We’d like to remind you that this release is GraphQL schema-only. We're currently working on the UI, which will be released next month. But for now, you can start testing Platformer functionality using the GraphQL interface. To help you dive into Platformer with ease, we've written a guide for Early Adopters: For Early Adopters. This guide should help you get started quickly and reduce any initial questions. Keep in mind that this document only covers the main API methods, so be sure to explore the full GraphQL schema at the following endpoint: https://mini-apps.store/gql. If you discover anything not working as expected, have any questions, or have suggestions, feel free to join the chat: Platformer Chat and let us know. That's all for now. Enjoy testing Platformer and have a great day!

👉 Apply for Closed Beta Today, we are starting to collect requests to participate in Platformer's MVP Closed Beta. Before filling out the form, here are a few important things to keep in mind: — First, we will roll out a GraphQL schema with comprehensive documentation on how to use it. Don’t worry—there’s no rocket science involved, and even if you have no prior experience with GraphQL, you’ll quickly understand how to work with it. — An administrative panel, presented as a Mini App, will be released later—we need some time to implement it. Initially, the UI will use iOS-style components, even when opened on Android. Since a polished UI isn’t a priority for the MVP release, we will improve it in the future and provide platform-specific versions. — You should not move your production projects to the platform, as there’s no guarantee that everything will work properly. This is an MVP, so it should be used for exploration and testing purposes only. — In the application form, be sure to list all colleagues who should have access to Platformer's functionality. Regular users will still be able to open and interact with your application on the platform. In case, you have any questions or have something to say—join the chat. That’s it! Now, apply for the beta! 🚀

Hi, fellow developers, we have some news! 🥺 Closed Beta We’re working hard on Platformer, ticking off important tasks day by day, and are on track to launch the closed beta in Q1 of 2025. We’ve also taken your feedback on how you’d like to see the first release—whether as a GraphQL schema with documentation or a fully ready UI. While the feedback was almost evenly split, we’ve landed on a great idea that, surprisingly, we hadn’t considered earlier. The plan is to do both: provide access via a GraphQL API and then offer a dedicated UI. This way, we can gather your initial feedback on the platform as early as possible and later refine the experience to make it even smoother. ⚙️ Launcher is Almost Ready As mentioned in our previous post, work on one of Platformer’s most critical components is in full swing—the Telegram apps launcher. The launcher has now reached its MVP stage and is ready for use. Of course, it won’t function without the backend, which we’re preparing to launch, so there’s no need to try using it just yet. That said, we’ve put together straightforward documentation on how to use the launcher, along with answers to potential questions that might arise. For this reason, we’re inviting you, developers, to explore the code and help identify any possible security issues. As the documentation states, security is one of Platformer’s top priorities, which is why the launcher is currently open source. Don’t forget to check out the Security Concerns section of the documentation first: Security Concerns. Have a great weekend! 🫤