AI Integration Quick Reference
AI Integration Quick Reference
Key identifiers:
- UID — Unique User Identifier (alphanumeric, underscore, hyphen)
- GUID — Group Unique Identifier (alphanumeric, underscore, hyphen)
- Auth Key — Development-only credential for quick testing
- Auth Token — Secure per-user token for production use
- REST API Key — Server-side credential, never expose in client code
Public | Password | Private
Member scopes: Admin | Moderator | Participant
Message categories: message | custom | action | callCometChat Dashboard
The CometChat Dashboard enables you to create new apps (projects) and manage your existing apps.- For every app, a unique App ID is generated. This App ID is required when integrating CometChat within your app.
- Along with the App ID, you will need to create an Auth Key (from the Dashboard) which can be used for user authentication.
Ideally, create two apps — one for development and one for production. Use a single app regardless of the number of platforms. Do not create separate apps for every platform; if you do, your users on different platforms will not be able to communicate with each other.
API Keys
You can generate two types of keys from the dashboard:| Type | Privileges | Recommended Use |
|---|---|---|
| Auth Key | Create & login users | Client-side code (development only) |
| REST API Key | Perform any CometChat operation | Server-side code only |
Users
A user is anyone who uses CometChat. Each user is uniquely identified using a UID (Unique User Identifier).- The UID is typically the primary ID of the user from your database
- UID can be alphanumeric with underscore and hyphen only — spaces, punctuation, and other special characters are not allowed
Auth Tokens
Auth Tokens are secure, per-user credentials for production use:- A single user can have multiple auth tokens (one per device)
- Generate tokens server-side via the REST API
- Tokens can only be deleted via the Dashboard or REST API
Authentication Flow
CometChat does not handle user management or friends management. You handle registration and login in your app, then log users into CometChat programmatically.| Your App | Your Server | CometChat |
|---|---|---|
| User registers | Store user info in your database | Create user via REST API (UID & name) |
| User logs in | Verify credentials, retrieve user ID | Log in user programmatically with UID |
| User sends friend request | Display request to potential friend | No action required |
| User accepts friend request | Display users as friends | Add both users as friends via REST API |
User Roles
A role is a category for grouping similar users. For example, group premium users with the role “Premium” to filter users or enable/disable features conditionally.Groups
A group enables multiple users to communicate on a particular topic or interest. Each group is uniquely identified using a GUID (Group Unique Identifier).- The GUID is typically the primary ID of the group from your database
- GUID can be alphanumeric with underscore and hyphen only
Group Types
| Type | Visibility | Participation |
|---|---|---|
| Public | All users | Any user can join |
| Password | All users | Users with valid password can join |
| Private | Members only | Users must be invited (auto-joined) |
Member Scopes
Once a user joins a group, they become a member with one of three scopes:| Scope | Default | Privileges |
|---|---|---|
| Admin | Group creator | Full control: manage members, change scopes, kick/ban anyone, update/delete group |
| Moderator | — | Moderate: change participant scopes, kick/ban participants, update group |
| Participant | All other members | Basic: send & receive messages and calls |
Message Categories
Every message belongs to one of these categories:| Category | Types | Description |
|---|---|---|
message | text, image, video, audio, file | Standard messages |
custom | Developer-defined | Custom data (e.g., location, polls) |
action | groupMember, message | System-generated (joins, edits, deletes) |
call | audio, video | Call-related messages |
Glossary
| Term | Definition | Learn More |
|---|---|---|
| UID | Unique User Identifier — alphanumeric string you assign to each user | Users Overview |
| GUID | Group Unique Identifier — alphanumeric string you assign to each group | Groups Overview |
| Auth Key | Development-only credential for quick testing. Never use in production | Authentication |
| Auth Token | Secure, per-user token generated via REST API. Use in production | Authentication |
| REST API Key | Server-side credential for REST API calls. Never expose in client code | CometChat Dashboard |
| Receiver Type | Specifies if a message target is a user or group | Send Message |
| Scope | Group member scope: admin, moderator, or participant | Change Member Scope |
| Listener | Callback handler for real-time events (messages, presence, calls, groups) | All Real-Time Listeners |
| Conversation | A chat thread between two users or within a group | Retrieve Conversations |
| Metadata | Custom JSON data attached to users, groups, or messages | Send Message |
| Tags | String labels for categorizing users, groups, conversations, or messages | Additional Filtering |
| RequestBuilder | Builder pattern class for constructing filtered/paginated queries | Additional Filtering |
| AppSettings | Configuration object for initializing the SDK (App ID, Region, presence) | Setup SDK |
| Transient Message | Ephemeral message not stored on server (typing indicators, live reactions) | Transient Messages |
| Interactive Message | Message with actionable UI elements (forms, cards, buttons) | Interactive Messages |
Next Steps
Setup SDK
Install and initialize the CometChat SDK
Authentication
Log users in and manage auth tokens
Send Messages
Send your first text or media message
Groups Overview
Create and manage group conversations