Setup

Install, configure, and initialize the CometChat Flutter SDK in your application.

AI Integration Quick Reference

# Install (pubspec.yaml)
cometchat_sdk: ^4.0.33

import 'package:cometchat_sdk/cometchat_sdk.dart';

AppSettings appSettings = (AppSettingsBuilder()
  ..subscriptionType = CometChatSubscriptionType.allUsers
  ..region = "APP_REGION"
  ..autoEstablishSocketConnection = true
).build();

CometChat.init("APP_ID", appSettings,
  onSuccess: (msg) => debugPrint("Init success"),
  onError: (e) => debugPrint("Init failed: ${e.message}")
);

// Login (dev only)
CometChat.login("UID", "AUTH_KEY",
  onSuccess: (user) => debugPrint("Login success"),
  onError: (e) => debugPrint("Login failed: ${e.message}")
);

Prerequisites: Flutter SDK 1.2+, Android API Level 21+, iOS 11+ Credentials: App ID, Region, Auth Key (dev) or Auth Token (prod) from CometChat Dashboard

Prerequisites

Requirement	Version
Flutter SDK	1.2 or higher
Android API Level	21 or higher
AndroidX	Required
iOS	11 or higher

Get your credentials from the CometChat Dashboard:

1. Create a new app
2. Head over to the API & Auth Keys section and note the Auth Key, App ID & Region

Auth Key is for development/testing only. In production, generate Auth Tokens on your server using the REST API. Never expose Auth Keys in production client code.

Installation

Add the following dependency to your pubspec.yaml file and run pub get:

Dart

cometchat_sdk: ^4.0.33

iOS Setup

1. Add the following to your Podfile inside the iOS section of your app:

Ruby

post_install do |installer|

installer.pods_project.targets.each do |target|

flutter_additional_ios_build_settings(target)

//Copy from here------->

target.build_configurations.each do |build_configuration|

build_configuration.build_settings['EXCLUDED_ARCHS[sdk=iphonesimulator*]'] = 'arm64 i386'

end

//Copy TILL here------->

end

end

2. Change the deployment target to 11 or higher.
3. Navigate to your iOS folder in terminal and run pod install. For Apple Silicon systems, use a Rosetta terminal.
4. Set Enabled Bitcode to NO in the Build Settings of your Xcode project.

Import the SDK

Dart

import 'package:cometchat_sdk/cometchat_sdk.dart';

Initialization

The init() method initializes the SDK and must be called before any other CometChat method. Call it once at app startup, typically in your root widget’s initState() or main() function.

Dart

String region = "APP_REGION";
String appId = "APP_ID";

AppSettings appSettings= (AppSettingsBuilder()
    ..subscriptionType = CometChatSubscriptionType.allUsers
    ..region= region
    ..adminHost = "" //optional
    ..clientHost = "" //optional
    ..autoEstablishSocketConnection =  true
).build();

CometChat.init(appId, appSettings,
  onSuccess: (String successMessage) {
    debugPrint("Initialization completed successfully  $successMessage");
  }, onError: (CometChatException excep) {
    debugPrint("Initialization failed with exception: ${excep.message}");
  }
);

Replace APP_ID and APP_REGION with your credentials from the Dashboard.

CometChat.init() must be called before any other SDK method. Calling login(), sendMessage(), or registering listeners before init() will fail.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
appId	String	Your CometChat App ID
appSettings	AppSettings	Configuration object built with AppSettingsBuilder
onSuccess	Function(String)	Callback triggered on successful initialization
onError	Function(CometChatException)	Callback triggered on initialization failure

AppSettings Options

Property	Type	Description	Default
subscriptionType	String?	Presence subscription type (CometChatSubscriptionType.allUsers, .roles, .friends)	—
roles	List<String>?	Roles to subscribe to when using role-based presence	—
region	String?	Region where your app was created (us, eu, in)	Required
autoEstablishSocketConnection	bool	Let SDK manage WebSocket connections automatically	true
adminHost	String?	Custom admin URL (dedicated deployment)	—
clientHost	String?	Custom client URL (dedicated deployment)	—

Presence Subscription

Choose how to subscribe to user presence (online/offline status):

// All users
AppSettings appSettings = (AppSettingsBuilder()
  ..subscriptionType = CometChatSubscriptionType.allUsers
  ..region = region
).build();

// Specific roles
AppSettings appSettings = (AppSettingsBuilder()
  ..subscriptionType = CometChatSubscriptionType.roles
  ..roles = ["admin", "moderator"]
  ..region = region
).build();

// Friends only
AppSettings appSettings = (AppSettingsBuilder()
  ..subscriptionType = CometChatSubscriptionType.friends
  ..region = region
).build();

See User Presence for more details.

Response

On Success — A String message confirming SDK initialization:

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
message	String	Success confirmation message	"Initialization completed successfully"

Error

Parameter	Type	Description	Sample Value
code	String	Error code identifier	"ERR_CHAT_API_FAILURE"
message	String	Human-readable error message	"SDK initialization failed."
details	String	Additional technical details	"Please verify your App ID and region, then try again."

WebSocket Connection

By default, the SDK manages WebSocket connections automatically. To manage them manually:

AppSettings appSettings = (AppSettingsBuilder()
  ..region = region
  ..autoEstablishSocketConnection = false
).build();

See Connection Behaviour for manual control.

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Next Steps

Authentication

Log in users with Auth Key or Auth Token

Send Messages

Send your first message