PubNub Chat SDK Developer

When to Use This Skill

• Building 1:1 direct messaging or group chat
• Implementing typing indicators and read receipts
• Adding message reactions and emoji support
• Creating threaded conversations
• Managing users, channels, and memberships
• Building chat room notifications

Core Workflow

1. Initialize Chat SDK: Configure with keys and userId
2. Create Users: Set up user profiles and metadata
3. Create Channels: Direct, group, or public channel types
4. Connect to Channel: Subscribe to receive messages
5. Send Messages: Use sendText for chat messages
6. Add Features: Typing indicators, reactions, threads

Reference Guide

Key Implementation Requirements

Initialize Chat SDK

import { Chat } from '@pubnub/chat';

const chat = await Chat.init({
  publishKey: 'pub-c-...',
  subscribeKey: 'sub-c-...',
  userId: 'user-123',
  // For Access Manager: use authKey (not token)
  authKey: 'auth-token-from-server'
});

Create Direct Channel

const { channel } = await chat.createDirectConversation({
  user: interlocutor,  // The other user
  channelData: { name: 'Direct Chat' }
});

Send and Receive Messages

// Connect to receive messages
channel.connect((message) => {
  console.log('Received:', message.text);
});

// Send message
await channel.sendText('Hello!');

Constraints

• Use

  authKey

  (not

  token

  ) for Access Manager authentication
• Explicitly create/retrieve users before conversations
• Cache channels to avoid recreating on each load
• Clean up subscriptions on logout/unmount
• userId must be persistent and unique per user

Output Format

1. Include Chat SDK initialization with proper configuration
2. Show user creation/retrieval patterns
3. Include channel connect and message handling
4. Add cleanup/disconnect handling
5. Note Access Manager integration if needed