How To Build a Real-Time Chat App for iOS and Android?

In today’s situation, the real-time chat app has become a key mode of communication as it has made people aware of the importance of networking and socializing over web platforms.

This post is meant to give a stop to their search, as I have covered all the needed key aspects of how to create a real-time messaging app for mobile and web apps with features and functionalities.

Steps to Build a Real-time Chat App

If you are curious about building a chat app for your business, here is my take on it. You’ve got 2 options:

Option 1: You can either build a messaging app from scratch

This option gives you complete control over your app at every step of its development. You need to code each bit of its features and take care of the security and hosting infrastructure on your own. While this sounds like a task, most developers prefer to opt for the next solution.

Option 2: Simply integrate pre-built APIs

Integrating chat APIs is the easiest way to launch messaging features into your apps within a matter of minutes. All you need to do is just create an account with trustworthy providers like MirrorFly, download their SDKs, and integrate them into your apps. Easy right? Well, let me take you through the steps it takes to

build a complete chat app:

Step 1: Create an account with MirrorFly Step 2: Get your License Key Step 3: Download the SDKs you need for you Android, iOS or web apps Step 4: Initialize the SDKs by following API documentation Step 5: Add the codes for sending messages, and then to receive messages. Step 6: Include codes for features like building chat rooms and moderation controls Step 7: Connect your app and the SDK to MirrorFly server to enable exchange of chat messages across user devices Step 8: Deploy your app That’s it! You’ve done it all within an hour. So, let’s now move on to learn more about Real-time messaging. Technical Stacks Behind a Robust Realtime Chat App Have you ever noticed how these real-time chat apps are so perfect with their functionalities? Well, it’s the technical stack that plays the key role. Yes! the one that works silently and supports the most to create a real time chat platform at it’s best. Let’s explore some of the varieties in tech stack and have a better understanding.

1. Erlang The chief general-purpose programming language that is used to create the epic chat app like WhatsApp. Erlang has built-in support for concurrency, distribution as well as fault tolerance. This technical stack has been used in a variety of large telecommunication systems from Ericsson.

2. Ejabberd This is an XMPP application server and an MQTT broker, which is mainly written in the Erlang programming language. It handles the message delivery system over any local area network. Ejabberd server is developed using some of the pluggable modules that enables wide feature

One-on-one chat Personal Event Protocol (PEP) Message typing specification Privacy setting and account spoofing Message Archive Management (MAM), and much more. 3. FreeBSD This is a free and open-source UNIX-like operating system. It is somewhat similar to Linux, with two major differences in scope and licensing. The most popular WhatsApp which sends around a billion messages every day has built its platform on FreeBSD. Since it’s a single distributor, it has several benefits with installation with easy creation of binary packages.

1. YAWS This YAWS (Yet Another Web Server), is fully written on Erlang. In the realtime chat applications, when these chat apps use embedded mode, the YAWS are executed as an embedded web server as with the combination, in another Erlang application. YAWS system is capable enough to handle concurrent processes in an efficient way and possesses high performance.

2. Lighttpd is an open-source web server that has been optimized for speed-critical environments for higher performance. This web server is deployed on WhatsApp to obtain the most secure, flexible, fast, and compliant features. It supports the SCGI, CGI, and FastCGI interfaces to external programs, allowing the web applications to be used with the server. The above are some of the major contributions that the real-time chat app provides to any enterprise.

For now, I hope you have got a clear understanding of how to make a messaging app for Android or web app, with features, functionalities and tech stacks.

Now, it’s up to you to decide what and all things you require to create your real-time chat app for iOS and Android from the above-mentioned listings. But, if you still feel you need more guidance concerning the same then feel free to contact us below, we are here to assist you.