React.js Integration

Add CometChat to a React.js app in 4 steps: create project, install, wrap in CometChatProvider, run.

AI Integration Quick Reference

Field	Value
Package	@cometchat/chat-uikit-react v7.0.x
Peer deps	react >=18, react-dom >=18, @cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript ^4.1.9, dompurify ^3.3.1
Setup	Wrap app in <CometChatProvider appId="..." region="..." authKey="..." uid="...">
Auth Key	Dev/testing only. Use authToken prop in production
CSS	import "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react/styles";
Calling	Optional. Install @cometchat/calls-sdk-javascript and set callingEnabled prop
Other frameworks	Next.js · React Router · Astro

This guide walks you through adding CometChat to a React.js app. By the end you’ll have a working chat UI.

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Prerequisites

You need three things from the CometChat Dashboard:

Credential	Where to find it
App ID	Dashboard → Your App → Credentials
Auth Key	Dashboard → Your App → Credentials
Region	Dashboard → Your App → Credentials (e.g. us, eu, in)

You also need Node.js 18+ and npm/yarn installed.

Auth Key is for development only. In production, generate Auth Tokens server-side via the REST API. Never ship Auth Keys in client code.

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Step 1 — Create a React Project

Vite (recommended)

npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react-ts
cd my-app

Create React App

npx create-react-app my-app --template typescript
cd my-app

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Step 2 — Install the UI Kit

npm

npm install @cometchat/chat-uikit-react @cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript dompurify

yarn

yarn add @cometchat/chat-uikit-react @cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript dompurify

If you want voice/video calling, also install:

npm install @cometchat/calls-sdk-javascript

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Step 3 — Render with CometChatProvider

Wrap your app in CometChatProvider with your credentials. It handles SDK initialization, login, and all internal context setup automatically.

For development, use one of the pre-created test UIDs:

cometchat-uid-1 · cometchat-uid-2 · cometchat-uid-3 · cometchat-uid-4 · cometchat-uid-5

src/App.tsx

import { useState } from "react";
import { CometChat } from "@cometchat/chat-sdk-javascript";
import {
  CometChatProvider,
  CometChatConversations,
  CometChatMessageHeader,
  CometChatMessageList,
  CometChatMessageComposer,
} from "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react";
import "@cometchat/chat-uikit-react/styles";

function App() {
  const [chatUser, setChatUser] = useState<CometChat.User | undefined>();
  const [chatGroup, setChatGroup] = useState<CometChat.Group | undefined>();

  const handleConversationClick = (conversation: CometChat.Conversation) => {
    const entity = conversation.getConversationWith();
    if (conversation.getConversationType() === "user") {
      setChatUser(entity as CometChat.User);
      setChatGroup(undefined);
    } else {
      setChatGroup(entity as CometChat.Group);
      setChatUser(undefined);
    }
  };

  return (
    <CometChatProvider
      appId="YOUR_APP_ID"
      region="YOUR_REGION"
      authKey="YOUR_AUTH_KEY"
      uid="cometchat-uid-1"
    >
      <div style={{ display: "flex", height: "100vh" }}>
        <div style={{ width: 360, borderRight: "1px solid #eee" }}>
          <CometChatConversations onItemClick={handleConversationClick} />
        </div>
        <div style={{ flex: 1, display: "flex", flexDirection: "column" }}>
          {(chatUser || chatGroup) && (
            <>
              <CometChatMessageHeader user={chatUser} group={chatGroup} />
              <CometChatMessageList user={chatUser} group={chatGroup} />
              <CometChatMessageComposer user={chatUser} group={chatGroup} />
            </>
          )}
        </div>
      </div>
    </CometChatProvider>
  );
}

export default App;

CometChatProvider handles init, login, plugin registration, theming, locale, and real-time events — no manual setup needed. For advanced use cases (custom login flows, individual providers), see the CometChatProvider guide.

For production, use the authToken prop instead of authKey + uid. Generate auth tokens server-side via the CometChat REST API. Never ship auth keys in client code.

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Step 4 — Run

npm run dev

Open http://localhost:5173 (Vite) or http://localhost:3000 (CRA). You should see the conversation list on the left. Click a conversation to open the message panel.

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Choose a Chat Experience

Conversation List + Message View

Two-panel layout — conversation list on the left, messages on the right.

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One-to-One / Group Chat

Single chat window — no sidebar. Good for support chat or embedded widgets.

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Tab-Based Chat

Tabbed navigation — Chat, Call Logs, Users, Settings in separate tabs.

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iFrame Embedding

If your React app runs inside an <iframe>, additional configuration is needed to ensure dialogs and portals mount in the correct frame. Documentation will be available once iframe support is finalized.

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Next Steps

Components Overview

Browse all prebuilt UI components

Theming

Customize colors, fonts, and styles

Plugins

Customize message rendering

Troubleshooting

Common issues and fixes