What kind of service is Telegram described as: cloud-based or peer-to-peer?

Telegram is described as a cloud-based service. Its cloud design stores ordinary chats and media on Telegram’s servers so users can synchronize them across multiple devices.

Telegram launched in 2013, founded by Pavel Durov and Nikolai Durov. Unlike a purely peer-to-peer messenger, its centralized infrastructure handles account synchronization, message delivery, file storage, and access through mobile, desktop, and web clients.

A common mix-up is that Telegram calls can prioritize peer-to-peer connections, while Telegram itself remains a cloud-based messaging service. Secret Chats are also device-specific and use end-to-end encryption, but they do not change Telegram’s overall cloud-service classification.