How To Build A React Native Chat App?

If you have been, in the long run, finding out how best you can build a mobile chat app, then I would suggest you hop onto the React Native framework to complete this job. Because the framework not only allows for cross-platform app development (for both iOS and Android) but also offers a smooth messaging experience for users with enterprise-grade performance levels.

And in case you are a newbie to the development field and feel you cannot write complex code to add a new functionality, you can make use of React Native chat SDKs to integrate advanced messaging features into existing chat software in minutes. So, shall we see how to build a React Native chat app in the post below? Do not blink your eye, as we will cover all details from setting up the development environment to integrating niche messaging features and much more.

Step-by-Step Guide to Building a React Native Chat App

Now, the first step to build a React native chat app for Android or iOS is you get hold of specific libraries, tech stacks, and communication tools like:

1. Redux — you need this library for managing JS applications

2. Firebase — a cloud-based tool to build and manage mobile and web apps

3. React navigation — to toggle between screens

4. Expo — to help you quickly set up and build the chat app

Step 1: Setting Up the Development Environment

This is the first step before you start coding, and that is setting up your development environment. To do so, you can use the following tools:

1. Node.js and npm to manage dependencies by installing the latest version from Node’s official site.

2. Installing the React Native CLI (command-line interface).

3. Setting up Android Studio for android app development which would include the Android SDK and emulator.

4. Downloading Xcode for iOS development which is available only for macOS and can be downloaded from Mac App Store.

Once you have successfully set up all the above, you need to verify it by using the command: npx react-native doctor.

Step 2: Initializing the React Native Project

Once you have set up the environment, you can now initialize the project by using the following code — npx react-native init ChatApp. The meaning of this command is that it will create a new React Native project with the name Chat App, post which you can navigate to the folder using the command cd ChatApp.

Step 3: Setting Up Firebase

Many might not know about Firebase and wonder why we should use one. Well, it is an essential tool while building a real-time chat app as the technology offers backend services for database storage, authenticating users, and more. To use this, you must create a firebase project by navigating to the Firebase console and creating a new project. Then installing Firebase packages in the project directory, and finally configuring it to your React Native app by following the Firebase documentation.

When you do the last step, it is necessary that you add google-services.json file for Android and GoogleService-Info.plist for iOS

Step 4: Creating Authentication Screens

When you build a chat app, the user authentication is quite important as no one would need their data to be breached by prying eyes. To do that, you can use an email or password authentication or simply can integrate Google Sign-in.

1. To build the basic and normal login screens for user authentication and registration, you can use the react-navigation library to handle the UI security and navigation.

2. Secondly, use Firebase’s functions like signInwithEmailAndPassword and CreateUserWithEmailAndPassword to look after the registration process.

Step 5: Setting Up Navigation

This step will help users to navigate between login screens, registration, and chat screens. For that, you need a navigation library that is react-navigation to carry out this functionality.

1. Install the react navigation using the codes below:

npm install @react-navigation/native
npm install react-native-screens react-native-safe-area-context
npm install @react-navigation/stack

2. Set up the navigation component using the basic stack navigator functionality:

import { NavigationContainer } from '@react-navigation/native';
import { createStackNavigator } from '@react-navigation/stack';

const Stack = createStackNavigator();

export default function App() {
  return (
    <NavigationContainer>
      <Stack.Navigator>
        <Stack.Screen name="Login" component={LoginScreen} />
        <Stack.Screen name="Chat" component={ChatScreen} />
      </Stack.Navigator>
    </NavigationContainer>
  );
}

Step 6: Creating the Chat UI

The user interface of your app is the core feature that will help users to send and receive messages with their peers in real-time and would elevate their chatting experiences. Here, you need to carry out a few steps like:

1. You need to use SectionList or FlatList components to display messages from the sender.

2. You need to add a text input field for your users to send the message to the recipient.

3. To store and sync all the messages in real time, you need to use Firebase Store.

Step 7: State Management With Redux

You can use the Redux library component to manage the data flow within your app smoothly, manage the app’s state, and help app scale when needed. And to use this attribute, you need to install redux using the code <npm install redux react-redux>.

Once you have successfully installed, your next step would be to create a store and connect it to your chat application using the library Provider from react-redux.

Step 8: Testing and Optimization

Now that you have coded the entire app, it is time to test it thoroughly before releasing. You can do unit testing using Jest and UI testing using the react-native testing library. Along with this step, you can optimize the performance of your app by reducing components that take time to load, unimportant re-renders, and adding new network requests.

Benefits of a React Native Chat App

Below are some of the prime reasons why developers choose React Native framework for building cross-functional messaging apps.

1. Multi-platform compatibility

With this framework, you can write a single code that would comfortably work well on both Android and iOS thus helping you save development time, cost, and effort.

2. Real-time communication

This is one of the best benefits of react native chat application and that is to enable real-time communication by integrating Firebase or Websockets. These technologies help you to add instant messaging features in real-time so that your users can send and receive messages without any delay.

3. Rich UI

You can build the most interactive and rich user interface for your chat apps as the React Native framework offers a variety of components that helps you create a custom UI with bubbles, emojis, animations, and other attributes that elevates the user experience. Also, these components give you the ability to enhance your chat software’s design and performance.

4. Fast development

Because of the presence of vast pre-built libraries and components, packages like React Navigation, React Native Gifted Chat, and Firebase, you can easily reduce the time to build an app with key features. This also means that your app can be developed in minimal time while keeping the quality still intact.

5. Easy integration

The react native framework also supports integration with multiple backend services like Firebase for data synchronization, file storage, and user authentication. And because of these integrations, you can add several advanced features in your chat application without having to write codes from ground zero.

Wrapping Up!

When you enter into a journey of building a React Native chat app, you would feel that it is fun to code along with learning advanced topics like real-time databases, user authentication, and mobile development. And with this guide, I hope that you got a solid foundation on how to build a cross-functional messaging app whether it is for personal use or for large audiences.

So are you ready to build a chat app for android or iOS? In case you are still worried about the complexity of the code or accessibility of the Firebase tool or the Redux state management library, I would suggest you take a look at some of the third-party providers who offer React Native chat APIs and SDKs to build chat systems in an easy and efficient way. The choice is yours! See you in another post.