How to Build an App Like GoChat with ZEGOCLOUD

Messaging apps are at the heart of how we connect today. People use them daily to chat with friends, join group discussions, and share important updates. GoChat stands out as a popular choice for its simple design and useful features.

Building your own messaging app might seem hard, but with the right tools, it's easier than you think. ZEGOCLOUD offers ready-to-use parts that help you add chat features to any app. In this guide, we'll show you how to create an app like GoChat step by step. You'll learn to add one-on-one chats, group messages, and more—even if you're not an expert coder.

What is GoChat Messenger?

GoChat Messenger is a mobile app that lets people send messages to each other. It works on both iPhones and Android phones. Users can send many types of messages to their friends and family, from simple texts to photos, videos, and even voice messages.

The app offers different ways to chat. Users can have private conversations with just one person when they want to talk one-on-one. For bigger conversations, they can create group chats where many friends can talk together. GoChat also has channels where users can follow news or get updates from companies or people they like.

When you send a message on GoChat, you can see if it was sent, received, or read by the other person. Users can share their location with friends or family when needed. The app also makes it easy to forward messages to other chats or reply to specific messages in a conversation.

GoChat is free to use and works well even when internet connections are slow. People trust GoChat because it keeps their messages private with special security measures. Users don't have to worry about losing their conversations when they get a new phone because the app can save and restore their chat history.

Must-have Features of Apps Like GoChat Messenger

When building GoChat alternatives, there are key features that GoChat has that you need to include:

• Voice and video calls: Only text messages aren’t enough in today’s chat app. Users need to make voice calls when typing is too slow or video calls when they want to see the other person's face. Your app should let users switch from a text chat to a call with one tap.
• Real-time messaging: Users expect their messages to be sent right away. When someone sends a text, the other person should get it instantly. This needs to work for both private chats and group conversations. Your app should show when messages are sent, delivered, and read. This way, users know if their friends got their messages.
• Group chat support: Your app must let users create and join group chats where many people can talk at once. Users should be able to name their groups, add or remove members, and share different types of content. Ensure that the app can handle both small groups for family chats, and the calls need to be clear with good sound and video quality.
• Media sharing: GoChat allows users to share photos, videos, documents, and voice messages in their chats. Your app should also make it easy to send and receive all these types of media. The app also needs to save shared files so users can find them later.
• Privacy and security features: Users care about keeping their conversations private. Your app needs strong security to protect all messages and calls. This means using encryption so only the right people can read messages or join calls. Users also need ways to block unwanted contacts and control who can add them to groups.

How to Build an App Like GoChat Messenger

ZEGOCLOUD makes it easy to build messaging and video call apps with social features that scale from one-on-one conversations to large group chats. In this section, we’ll be using ZEGOCLOUD’s Express Video SDK for video calls and ZIM SDK for messaging in this GoChat development tutorial.

Key Features of ZEGOCLOUD:

• High-quality video calls: Ensure seamless video communication with low-latency technology, supporting multiple participants in a call.
• Real-time messaging: Enable text chat functionality with reliable, scalable messaging services.
• Cross-platform support: ZEGOCLOUD SDKs are compatible with web, iOS, and Android platforms, allowing for consistent app experiences across devices.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have the following:

• A ZEGOCLOUD developer account to get your AppID and server credentials.
• Node.js installed on your machine.
• Basic understanding of JavaScript or TypeScript.
• Code editor like Visual Studio Code.
• A browser that supports WebRTC (e.g., Chrome, Firefox).

1. Project Setup

Create a new project folder and initialize a Node.js project using npm:

mkdir gochat-app
cd gochat-app
npm init -y

Now create two files: index.html for the UI and index.js for the logic.

Project structure:

gochat-app/
├── index.html
├── index.js
├── package.json
index.html

This will contain the structure for video call and messaging interfaces:

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head>
    <meta charset="UTF-8">
    <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
    <title>GoChat - Video & Messaging</title>
    <style>
        #video-container, #chat-container {
            margin-bottom: 20px;
        }
        video {
            width: 48%;
            height: 300px;
            background-color: #000;
        }
        #chat {
            width: 100%;
            height: 300px;
            border: 2px solid #000;
            overflow-y: scroll;
        }
        #message-input {
            width: 100%;
            margin-top: 10px;
        }
    </style>
</head>
<body>
    <h1>Video Call with Messaging</h1>
    <div id="video-container">
        <video id="localVideo" autoplay muted></video>
        <video id="remoteVideo" autoplay></video>
    </div>
    <div id="chat-container">
        <div id="chat"></div>
        <input type="text" id="message-input" placeholder="Type a message" />
        <button onclick="sendMessage()">Send</button>
    </div>

    <script src="index.js"></script>
</body>
</html>

2. Install ZEGOCLOUD SDKs

Install the required SDKs for both messaging and video calls:

npm install zego-express-engine-webrtc zego-zim-web

3. Import and Initialize SDKs

In index.js, import the SDKs and initialize them:

import { ZegoExpressEngine } from 'zego-express-engine-webrtc';
import { ZIM } from 'zego-zim-web';

const appID = 123456789; // Replace with your AppID
const server = 'wss://your-server-url'; // Replace with your server URL
const zg = new ZegoExpressEngine(appID, server);

// Initialize ZIM SDK for messaging
const zim = ZIM.create({ appID });

4. Video Call Setup

Set up the logic to handle video calls using the ZegoExpressEngine:

const localVideo = document.getElementById('localVideo');
const remoteVideo = document.getElementById('remoteVideo');

async function startVideoCall() {
    const userID = 'user_' + new Date().getTime();
    const token = 'your_token_here'; // Replace with your token

    await zg.loginRoom('room-id', token, { userID, userName: userID });

    const localStream = await zg.createStream();
    localVideo.srcObject = localStream;

    zg.startPublishingStream('streamID', localStream);

    zg.on('roomStreamUpdate', async (roomID, updateType, streamList) => {
        if (updateType === 'ADD') {
            const remoteStream = await zg.startPlayingStream(streamList[0].streamID);
            remoteVideo.srcObject = remoteStream;
        }
    });
}

startVideoCall();

5. Messaging Setup

Next, set up real-time messaging using ZIM SDK:

async function loginZIM() {
    const zimUserID = 'user_' + new Date().getTime();
    const zimToken = 'your_zim_token_here'; // Replace with your ZIM token

    await zim.login({ userID: zimUserID, userName: 'User' }, zimToken);
}

async function sendMessage() {
    const messageInput = document.getElementById('message-input');
    const messageContent = messageInput.value;

    zim.sendMessage({
        conversationID: 'conversation-id',
        conversationType: ZIM.enums.ConversationType.P2P,
        message: { content: messageContent }
    });

    displayMessage('You: ' + messageContent);
}

function displayMessage(message) {
    const chatBox = document.getElementById('chat');
    const messageDiv = document.createElement('div');
    messageDiv.textContent = message;
    chatBox.appendChild(messageDiv);
}

6. Handle Messages and Callbacks

Listen for new incoming messages and display them in the chat window:

zim.on('receiveMessage', (msg) => {
    const messageContent = msg.message.content;
    displayMessage('Friend: ' + messageContent);
});

function displayMessage(message) {
    const chatBox = document.getElementById('chat');
    const messageDiv = document.createElement('div');
    messageDiv.textContent = message;
    chatBox.appendChild(messageDiv);
}

7. Cleanup and Logout

When the session ends, clean up by logging out of the room and messaging services:

function cleanup() {
    zg.logoutRoom('room-id');
    zim.logout();
}

// Call cleanup function when leaving the session
cleanup();

Conclusion

Building a messaging app like GoChat is now within your reach thanks to tools like ZEGOCLOUD. By following this guide, you can add important features like voice calls, video chats, and instant messaging to your app. The code we shared helps you handle both one-on-one and group conversations securely.

While making an app takes time and effort, ZEGOCLOUD makes the process much simpler. You don't need to start from zero or be an expert coder. Start with the basics, test as you go, and grow your app step by step. With some work and the right tools, you can create an app that connects people just like GoChat does.