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FieldValue
Package@cometchat/chat-uikit-react
FrameworkAstro
ComponentsCometChatMessageHeader, CometChatMessageList, CometChatMessageComposer
LayoutSingle chat window — no sidebar, no conversation list
PrerequisiteComplete Astro Integration first
SSRReact island with client:only="react" directive
PatternSupport chat, embedded widgets, focused messaging
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 (project created, UI Kit installed, init + login working).

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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

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Full Code

Create a React island component with the chat UI, then render it in an Astro page with client:only="react".
src/components/DirectChat.tsx
import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import {
  CometChatProvider,
  CometChatMessageHeader,
  CometChatMessageList,
  CometChatMessageComposer,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";
import "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react/styles";

const RECIPIENT_UID = "cometchat-uid-2"; // Replace with the UID you want to chat with

export default function DirectChat() {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = useState<CometChat.User | undefined>(undefined);

  useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getUser(RECIPIENT_UID).then(
      (user) => setChatUser(user),
      (error) => console.error("User fetch failed:", error)
    );
  }, []);

  if (!chatUser) return <div>Loading chat...</div>;

  return (
    <CometChatProvider>
      <div style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", height: "100vh", width: "100%" }}>
        <CometChatMessageHeader user={chatUser} />
        <CometChatMessageList user={chatUser} />
        <CometChatMessageComposer user={chatUser} />
      </div>
    </CometChatProvider>
  );
}
src/pages/chat.astro
---
import DirectChat from '../components/DirectChat.tsx';
---

<html lang="en">
  <head>
    <meta charset="utf-8" />
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width" />
    <title>Chat</title>
  </head>
  <body style="margin: 0;">
    <DirectChat client:only="react" />
  </body>
</html>
Key points:
  • client:only="react" ensures the component only runs in the browser — no server-side rendering.
  • CometChat.getUser(UID) fetches the full 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 RECIPIENT_UID should be a user that exists in your CometChat app. Use one of the pre-created test UIDs: cometchat-uid-1 through cometchat-uid-5.

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Switching to Group Chat

To load a group chat instead of one-to-one, fetch a Group object and pass it to the message components:
src/components/DirectChat.tsx
import { useEffect, useState } from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import {
  CometChatProvider,
  CometChatMessageHeader,
  CometChatMessageList,
  CometChatMessageComposer,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";
import "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react/styles";

const GROUP_ID = "cometchat-guid-1"; // Replace with your Group ID

export default function DirectChat() {
  const [chatGroup, setChatGroup] = useState<CometChat.Group | undefined>(undefined);

  useEffect(() => {
    CometChat.getGroup(GROUP_ID).then(
      (group) => setChatGroup(group),
      (error) => console.error("Group fetch failed:", error)
    );
  }, []);

  if (!chatGroup) return <div>Loading chat...</div>;

  return (
    <CometChatProvider>
      <div style={{ display: "flex", flexDirection: "column", height: "100vh", width: "100%" }}>
        <CometChatMessageHeader group={chatGroup} />
        <CometChatMessageList group={chatGroup} />
        <CometChatMessageComposer group={chatGroup} />
      </div>
    </CometChatProvider>
  );
}
The only difference: use CometChat.getGroup(GUID) instead of CometChat.getUser(UID), and pass group instead of user.

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Run

npm run dev
Open http://localhost:4321/chat. You should see the chat window load with the conversation for the UID or GUID you set.

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Next Steps

Conversation List + Messages

Two-panel layout with a sidebar

Tab-Based Chat

Tabbed navigation with Chats, Calls, Users

Components Overview

Browse all prebuilt UI components