Building real-time chat into your application used to mean weeks of backend development, WebSocket management, and infrastructure headaches. Today, chat SDKs have changed the game entirely. With the right SDK, you can have a fully functional chat system running in your app in a matter of hours, not weeks.
If you're a developer or product owner researching how to add chat functionality to your application, you're likely weighing your options: should you build from scratch or integrate an SDK? And if you choose an SDK, what does the implementation process actually look like?
This guide walks you through exactly how chat SDK integration works, from the general implementation flow to framework-specific details using CometChat as a reference. Whether you're building for web, mobile, or cross-platform, you'll understand the process end-to-end and know what to expect at each stage.
Understanding Chat SDK Integration: The General Process
Before diving into any specific platform or framework, it helps to understand what happens under the hood when you integrate a chat SDK. The process is remarkably similar across most modern chat SDKs, though the syntax and specific implementation details vary.
Here's the typical workflow:
i) Installing the SDK
You start by adding the SDK to your project as a dependency. This might be through npm, CocoaPods, Gradle, or pub.dev, depending on your platform. The SDK package contains all the pre-built modules you need for chat functionality.
ii) Initialising the SDK
Once installed, you initialize the SDK with credentials from your chat provider. Usually an App ID or API key. This establishes the connection between your application and the chat infrastructure. Initialization typically happens once when your app starts.
iii) Authenticating Users
Before users can send or receive messages, they need to be authenticated with the chat system. This usually involves logging them in with a unique user ID and an authentication token. The SDK handles the session management and keeps users connected.
iv) Setting Up Conversation and Messaging Modules
With authentication complete, you can access the SDK's messaging APIs. This is where you build out the UI components conversation lists, chat windows, message composers and connect them to the SDK's data layer.
v) Sending and Receiving Messages
The SDK provides methods to send text messages, media files, and custom data. Receiving messages works through callback listeners or event handlers that fire in real-time when new messages arrive.
vi) Listening to Real-Time Events
Modern chat isn't just about messages. You need to handle typing indicators, read receipts, user presence, delivery statuses, and more. SDKs expose event listeners that let you react to these activities as they happen.
vii) Handling Groups and Advanced Features
Most chat SDKs support group conversations, user roles, message threading, reactions, and other advanced features. The SDK provides APIs to create groups, manage members, and handle permissions.
viii) Error Handling and Infrastructure Considerations
Production chat systems need to handle network failures gracefully, implement retry logic, manage rate limits, and scale with user growth. Quality SDKs abstract away most of this complexity but give you hooks to customize behavior when needed.
This is the conceptual framework that applies whether you're using CometChat, Sendbird, Stream, or any other chat SDK. The specific code syntax changes, but the implementation pattern stays consistent.
Implementing In-App Chat with CometChat SDK: Step-by-Step
Integrating chat with CometChat follows the same overall pattern, but with a smoother developer experience and more flexibility across platforms. The steps below apply to every CometChat SDK: React Native, Flutter, iOS, Android, JavaScript, and Ionic.
01.
Get Your Application Keys
Sign up for a CometChat account and create a new app from the dashboard to receive your unique App ID, Region, and Auth Key. These credentials securely connect your application to CometChat's infrastructure and authenticate your requests
02.
Add the CometChat Dependency
Install the CometChat SDK into your project using your platform's package manager- npm for JavaScript and React Native, CocoaPods or SPM for iOS, Gradle for Android, or pub.dev for Flutter. This single dependency includes everything you need for real-time messaging, groups, media sharing, and more.
03.
Initialize CometChat
Call the initialization method in your app's entry point with your App ID and Region to establish the connection to CometChat's servers. This one-time setup prepares the SDK for all subsequent chat operations throughout your application's lifecycle.
04.
Register and Login Your User
Create user accounts either through the CometChat dashboard or programmatically via the SDK, then authenticate users by logging them in with their unique user ID and auth token. Once logged in, users can send messages, join groups, and receive real-time updates.
05.
Integrate Our UI Kits
Drop in CometChat's pre-built UI components to get a complete chat interface with conversation lists, message threads, user profiles, and all interactive features working immediately. These production-ready components are fully customizable and handle all the complex state management and real-time synchronization for you.
06.
Integrate Our Chat Widget
For web applications, embed CometChat's widget with just a few lines of code to add a fully functional chat interface to any webpage. The widget is perfect for customer support, community engagement, or adding chat to marketing sites without building custom UI.
The exact install commands, initialization syntax, and UI setup vary slightly based on the framework you're using. Below are framework-specific considerations and links to detailed documentation.
You can check out our documentation for more detailed step by step instructions.
While the integration flow stays the same, the installation steps and syntax vary slightly depending on the framework you’re using.
React Native SDK
React Native developers get the advantage of writing chat functionality once and deploying to both iOS and Android. Our React Native chat SDK integrates seamlessly with React Native's component lifecycle and supports all native features like push notifications and deep linking.
What differs: Installation uses npm or yarn, and initialization happens in your root component. You'll work with React hooks and state management to handle real-time updates.
Platform considerations: You'll need to configure native modules for both iOS and Android, handle platform-specific permissions for media access, and set up push notification services for each platform.
View React Native SDK Documentation
Flutter SDK
Flutter's cross-platform approach extends naturally to chat. CometChat's Flutter SDK lets you build once and deploy to iOS, Android, web, and desktop from a single codebase.
What differs: Installation uses pub.dev, and you'll work with Flutter's widget tree and state management patterns like Provider or Riverpod. The SDK provides Flutter-friendly APIs that feel natural to Flutter developers.
Platform considerations: Handle platform channels for native functionality, configure permissions in both iOS and Android manifests, and optimize for hot reload during development.
View Flutter SDK Documentation
Android SDK
For native Android development, the CometChat Android SDK provides a Kotlin-first API with Java support. It integrates with Android's lifecycle architecture and Material Design components.
What differs: Installation uses Gradle, and initialization typically happens in your Application class. You'll work with Android's Activity and Fragment lifecycle, ViewModels, and LiveData patterns.
Platform considerations: Handle Android-specific permissions, background service restrictions, battery optimization, and push notifications through Firebase Cloud Messaging.
View Android SDK Documentation
iOS SDK
The iOS SDK is built with Swift and supports SwiftUI and UIKit. It follows iOS design patterns and integrates with Apple's ecosystem features like CallKit and PushKit.
What differs: Installation uses CocoaPods or Swift Package Manager, and initialization happens in your AppDelegate or App struct. You'll work with delegates, closures, and Combine publishers for real-time updates.
Platform considerations: Handle iOS permissions, background modes, push notification certificates, and App Store submission requirements.
JavaScript SDK
For web applications, the JavaScript SDK works with vanilla JavaScript or any modern framework like React, Vue, or Angular. It's lightweight and optimized for browser environments.
What differs: Installation uses npm or a CDN link, and initialization happens on page load or app mount. You'll work with Promises, async/await, and browser APIs for real-time communication.
Platform considerations: Handle browser compatibility, WebSocket connections, local storage for persistence, and service workers for push notifications on the web.
View JavaScript SDK Documentation
Ionic SDK
Ionic developers get a hybrid approach that combines web technologies with native capabilities. The CometChat Ionic SDK leverages Capacitor or Cordova plugins for device access.
What differs: Installation works through npm with additional native configuration. You'll integrate with Ionic's component library and use Angular, React, or Vue depending on your Ionic setup.
Platform considerations: Configure native plugins for both platforms, handle Cordova/Capacitor bridge communication, and test across web, iOS, and Android builds.
Why Use CometChat for SDK-Based Chat Integration?
CometChat takes care of the heavy lifting behind real-time communication with SDKs that are easy to set up, scalable, and designed for modern product teams. We offer strong security and compliance out of the box like HIPAA, GDPR, SOC 2, ISO 27001 making us suitable for applications that need to meet enterprise or industry-specific standards. Developers get extensive support resources, including clear documentation, sample apps, UI kits, and GitHub repositories.
What sets CometChat apart is the breadth of features available in a single platform. Along with reliable text chat, you get built-in voice and video calling, moderation tools, notifications, group management, and flexible integration approaches. Whether you prefer a ready-made UI or full control through SDKs and APIs, CometChat adapts to your workflow and helps you ship faster.
Beyond the SDK: Other Ways to Integrate CometChat
Chat Widgets: The Fastest Path to Working Chat
If you need chat functionality live on your website today, CometChat's chat widgets are your answer. These are pre-built, embeddable chat interfaces that you can drop into any webpage with a few lines of JavaScript.
UI Kit Builder: Pre-Built Components with Customization
The UI Kit Builder sits between widgets and the raw SDK. It gives you pre-built, production-ready chat UI components that you can customize and integrate into your application.
UI Kits: Maximum Control with Reference Implementations
CometChat's UI Kits are open-source, production-grade chat implementations that you integrate directly into your codebase. You get complete control because you're working with actual code, not abstractions.
Final Thoughts
Adding chat to your app doesn’t have to be complex. By using an SDK, you skip months of backend development and focus on building the actual product experience. And when it comes to speed, flexibility, and developer experience, CometChat gives you everything you need to integrate real-time chat and calling with confidence.
You can build your own real time chat today using cometchat
Shrinithi Vijayaraghavan
Creative Storytelling , CometChat