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User Sessions

Before you can use the ChatKitty SDK, a user session must be started. Starting a user session creates a concurrent connection to ChatKitty belonging to a user throughout the duration of the user's usage of your application until the user session is ended. A user session is active from when it was started until it is ended by the user, or the session's underlying network connection is lost. Only one user session can be active at a time for a ChatKitty client instance.

ChatKitty lets you integrate your application authentication logic to secure user sessions with no hassle. If you are in development mode or don't plan on implementing user authentication, you can also create user sessions without authenticating in guest mode.

Properties​

NameTypeDescriptionRequired
userCurrentUserThe user this session was started for✔

Starting a user session​

You start a user session using the unique username of a user and optionally authentication parameters to secure the user session.

note

We recommend you use hashed email addresses or phone numbers for usernames.

Starting a guest user session​

By default, your application has the guest user feature enabled, allowing you to start a user session with only your users' unique username. Starting a guest user session creates a new guest user if a user with the requested username does not exist.

Parameters​

NameTypeDescriptionRequired
usernamestringThe unique name of the user starting this guest session✔
const result = await chatkitty.startSession({
  username: 'jane@chatkitty.com'
});

if (result.succeeded) {
  const session = result.session; // Handle session
}

if (result.failed) {
  const error = result.error; // Handle error
}
note

Guest user sessions are only appropriate when your application in development, if your application supports anonymous chat, or if you don't need back-end authentication.

Starting an authenticated user session​

You can start an authenticated user session using a unique username and auth params. A username is a string that uniquely identifies a user within your application. You define a username when creating a user as its name property. Auth params are arbitrary properties passed to an authentication chat function used to check if a user is allowed to start a user session with their credentials.

Parameters​

NameTypeDescriptionRequired
usernamestringThe unique name of the user starting this authenticated session✔
authParamsobjectApplication-defined parameters containing user credentials✔
const result = await chatkitty.startSession({
  username: 'jane@chatkitty.com',
  authParams: {
    // parameters you defined to securely pass to authentication chat function
    password: password,
  },
});

if (result.succeeded) {
  const session = result.session; // Handle session
}

if (result.failed) {
  const error = result.error; // Handle error
}

The auth params you pass to ChatKitty are entirely under your control. Typically, these will be relevant authentication credentials your authentication chat function uses to determine if to let a user start a session like a password, access token, session cookie, etc.

Ending a user session​

End a user session to close its concurrent connection and free up resources used by your ChatKitty client.

chatkitty.endSession();

See also​