> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://www.cometchat.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# One-to-One / Group Chat

> Build a focused one-to-one or group chat experience in Astro with CometChat React UI Kit.

<Accordion title="AI Integration Quick Reference">
  | Field        | Value                                                                         |
  | ------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
  | Package      | `@cometchat/chat-uikit-react`                                                 |
  | Framework    | Astro (with `@astrojs/react` islands)                                         |
  | Components   | `CometChatMessageHeader`, `CometChatMessageList`, `CometChatMessageComposer`  |
  | Layout       | Single chat window — no sidebar, no conversation list                         |
  | Prerequisite | Complete [Astro Integration](/ui-kit/react/astro-integration) Steps 1–5 first |
  | SSR          | `client:only="react"` directive — CometChat requires browser APIs             |
  | Pattern      | Support chat, embedded widgets, focused messaging                             |
</Accordion>

This guide builds a single chat window — no sidebar, no conversation list. Users go directly into a one-to-one or group chat. Good for support chat, embedded widgets, or any focused messaging experience.

This assumes you've already completed [Astro Integration](/ui-kit/react/astro-integration) (project created, React added, UI Kit installed).

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/cometchat-22654f5b/sVDw7GNAn28WGWte/images/4d640baf-chat_experience_one_on_one-db9d6d7716241c59bb026625b05019fe.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=sVDw7GNAn28WGWte&q=85&s=06320cc3e46aa95cb0538c84df500aae" width="1282" height="802" data-path="images/4d640baf-chat_experience_one_on_one-db9d6d7716241c59bb026625b05019fe.png" />
</Frame>

***

## What You're Building

Three components stacked vertically:

1. **Chat header** — displays recipient name, avatar, online status, and optional call buttons
2. **Message list** — real-time chat history with scrolling
3. **Message composer** — text input with media, emojis, and reactions

***

## Step 1 — Create the React Island

Create a `OneToOneChat` component inside `src/components/`. This handles init, login, fetches the target user, and renders the chat UI.

<Tree>
  <Tree.Folder name="src" defaultOpen>
    <Tree.Folder name="components" defaultOpen>
      <Tree.File name="OneToOneChat.tsx" />

      <Tree.File name="OneToOneChat.css" />
    </Tree.Folder>
  </Tree.Folder>
</Tree>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="TypeScript">
    ```tsx title="OneToOneChat.tsx" lines highlight={14-16, 37, 55, 62} theme={null}
    import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
    import {
      CometChatMessageComposer,
      CometChatMessageHeader,
      CometChatMessageList,
      CometChatUIKit,
      UIKitSettingsBuilder,
    } from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";
    import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
    import "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react/css-variables.css";
    import "./OneToOneChat.css";

    const COMETCHAT_CONSTANTS = {
      APP_ID: "",    // Replace with your App ID
      REGION: "",    // Replace with your Region
      AUTH_KEY: "",  // Replace with your Auth Key (dev only)
    };

    export default function OneToOneChat() {
      const [user, setUser] = useState<CometChat.User | undefined>(undefined);
      const [selectedUser, setSelectedUser] = useState<CometChat.User | undefined>(undefined);
      const [selectedGroup, setSelectedGroup] = useState<CometChat.Group | undefined>(undefined);

      useEffect(() => {
        const UIKitSettings = new UIKitSettingsBuilder()
          .setAppId(COMETCHAT_CONSTANTS.APP_ID)
          .setRegion(COMETCHAT_CONSTANTS.REGION)
          .setAuthKey(COMETCHAT_CONSTANTS.AUTH_KEY)
          .subscribePresenceForAllUsers()
          .build();

        CometChatUIKit.init(UIKitSettings)
          .then(() => {
            console.log("Initialization completed successfully");
            CometChatUIKit.getLoggedinUser().then((loggedInUser) => {
              if (!loggedInUser) {
                CometChatUIKit.login("cometchat-uid-2")
                  .then((u) => {
                    console.log("Login Successful", { u });
                    setUser(u);
                  })
                  .catch((error) => console.error("Login failed", error));
              } else {
                console.log("Already logged-in", { loggedInUser });
                setUser(loggedInUser);
              }
            });
          })
          .catch((error) => console.error("Initialization failed", error));
      }, []);

      useEffect(() => {
        if (user) {
          // Fetch the user whose chat you want to load
          const UID = "cometchat-uid-1";
          CometChat.getUser(UID).then(
            (u) => setSelectedUser(u),
            (error) => console.log("User fetching failed with error:", error)
          );

          // To load a group chat instead, uncomment below:
          // const GUID = "GUID";
          // CometChat.getGroup(GUID).then(
          //   (group) => setSelectedGroup(group),
          //   (error) => console.log("Group fetching failed with error:", error)
          // );
        }
      }, [user]);

      if (!user) return <div>Initializing Chat...</div>;

      return (
        <>
          {selectedUser || selectedGroup ? (
            <div className="messages-wrapper">
              <CometChatMessageHeader user={selectedUser} group={selectedGroup} />
              <CometChatMessageList user={selectedUser} group={selectedGroup} />
              <CometChatMessageComposer user={selectedUser} group={selectedGroup} />
            </div>
          ) : (
            <div className="empty-conversation">
              Set a user or group UID in OneToOneChat.tsx to start chatting
            </div>
          )}
        </>
      );
    }
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="CSS">
    ```css title="OneToOneChat.css" lines theme={null}
    .messages-wrapper {
      width: 100%;
      height: 100%;
      display: flex;
      flex-direction: column;
    }

    .empty-conversation {
      height: 100%;
      width: 100%;
      display: flex;
      justify-content: center;
      align-items: center;
      background: var(--cometchat-background-color-03, #F5F5F5);
      color: var(--cometchat-text-color-secondary, #727272);
      font: var(--cometchat-font-body-regular, 400 14px Roboto);
    }

    .cometchat .cometchat-message-composer {
      border-radius: 0px;
    }
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Key points:

* `CometChat.getUser(UID)` fetches the user object from the SDK — you need a real user object, not a manually constructed one.
* Pass either `user` or `group` to the message components, never both.
* The highlighted lines show where to set your credentials and target UID.

***

## Switching Between User and Group Chat

To load a group chat instead of one-to-one, replace the `getUser` call with `getGroup`:

```tsx lines highlight={1} theme={null}
const GUID = "GUID"; // Replace with your actual Group ID

CometChat.getGroup(GUID)
  .then((group) => setSelectedGroup(group))
  .catch((error) => console.error("Failed to fetch group:", error));
```

***

## Step 2 — Render the Astro Page

Import the island and hydrate it client-side using `client:only="react"`.

```astro title="src/pages/index.astro" lines theme={null}
---
import OneToOneChat from "../components/OneToOneChat.tsx";
import "../styles/globals.css";
---

<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <title>One-to-One Chat</title>
  </head>
  <body>
    <OneToOneChat client:only="react" />
  </body>
</html>
```

The `client:only="react"` directive ensures the component skips SSR entirely and only renders in the browser.

***

## Step 3 — Run the Project

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="npm">
    ```bash lines theme={null}
    npm run dev
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="pnpm">
    ```bash lines theme={null}
    pnpm dev
    ```
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="yarn">
    ```bash lines theme={null}
    yarn dev
    ```
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

You should see the chat window load with the conversation for the UID you set.

***

## Next Steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Theming" icon="paintbrush" href="/ui-kit/react/theme">
    Customize colors, fonts, and styles to match your brand
  </Card>

  <Card title="Components Overview" icon="grid-2" href="/ui-kit/react/components-overview">
    Browse all prebuilt UI components
  </Card>

  <Card title="Astro Integration" icon={<img src="/images/icons/astro.svg" alt="Astro" />} href="/ui-kit/react/astro-integration">
    Back to the main setup guide
  </Card>

  <Card title="Core Features" icon="comments" href="/ui-kit/react/core-features">
    Chat features included out of the box
  </Card>
</CardGroup>
