"In the article below, we will quickly look at the basics and benefits of XMPP for chat applications and a few real-life scenarios of this instant messaging protocol."
Think about any use case, you may find in-app chats reigning among users and businesses because of its ability to communicate in real-time.
Therefore, the need to build real-time chat apps like WhatsApp with low latency along with top capabilities like multi-party chats and presence indicators made developers prefer the XMPP protocol for Android and iOS chat apps.
So, what is this protocol? How has it successfully passed the test of time? Or how does XMPP work? We'll find answers to all the questions here.
What is XMPP Chat?
XMPP chats are real-time chats or messages that are powered by the XMPP protocol for seamless transmission of XML data between two network endpoints.
What does XMPP chat protocol mean?
XMPP (eXtensible Messaging and Presence Protocol) is an open-standard chat protocol that paves the way for seamless transfer of XML fragments, i.e., messages and presence information between two network endpoints in real-time.
Further, this protocol can process only small chunks of XML data and cannot handle large streams or blobs of binary information. To best explain its definition, we will break down its meaning alphabetically.
And lately, XMPP arose as the widely accepted protocol than WebSockets for building React Native and Flutter chat apps. So, let us see its working methodology.
How does XMPP chat work?
It is very simple as the XMPP protocol follows a client-server architecture model where the messages sent by the client first reach the server, then based on a unique identifier, the server routes the message to the correct client.
But how does the server know which client to send?
In the XMPP protocol, every client is assigned a unique Jabber ID when connected to the XMPP server.
The ID is in the format userdomain/resource where the user is the client's username and domain.com is the client's domain name.
And then the resource is the device, that is web or mobile, from which messages are sent.
Now with all these done,
The client first initiates a session with the server which is usually known to be an XML stream. And the connection is the TCP connection.
After this, the server identifies who's the user with the help of the unique identifier and then accepts the connection.
Upon acceptance, the server sends back the XML stream to the right client.
This results in a two-way stream of XML data.
Further, more than one XMPP server can connect with each other to form a network called Federation. This Federation allows clients to connect with different XMPP servers.
Can understand better with visuals? Below is a pictorial representation of XMPP client-server architecture.
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Now that we have seen the basics of how an XMPP protocol works, we will further dig deep by traveling the architecture a little.
XMPP Stanzas
XMPP Stanzas are the fragments of XML that are transmitted between two network endpoints for initiating communication. Usually, Stanzas are of three types, each of which serves a different purpose and structure.
1. Presence Stanza
As the name goes, it helps to display the presence of a user or network status to other users or servers.
2. Message Stanza
It is nothing but messages or chats, group chats, headlines, or errors that are transmitted between users. This stanza uses a 'push' mechanism to send data to other XMPP entities.
3. IQ Stanza
Similar to HTTP's GET and POST methods, IQ Stanza looks after the requests and modifies data between client servers.
Now that we have seen the working process of XMPP, let us look at its features.
Features of XMPP Chat Protocol
Listed below are some of the best features of the XMPP instant messaging protocol:
1. Asynchronous Messaging
It means users can send any number of messages to other users in real time without having to wait for a response from the recipient. Plus, it is not mandatory that users must be online to exchange texts, unlike other client-server architectures.
2. Decentralization
As XMPP is an open standard protocol, anyone can create their server either on-site for complete control or deploy in the cloud for easy management.
3. Persistent Connection
As XMPP follows a client-server architecture, it creates a persistent TCP connection for the client to interact with the server or between server and server.
As a result of this persistence, there will not be a need to re-establish connection during data transfer, and the XMPP protocol minimizes network latency, congestion, memory usage, bandwidth costs, and more.
4. Gateways
Gateways act as client's proxies alongside the XMPP server that connect multiple protocol types like SMS to XMPP and emails. Gateways require no additional code for implementation.
Now,
When to use the XMPP protocol for chat app development?
Just like XMPP, there are plenty of other chat protocols in the market that developers can choose based on their tech stack. But let me tell you, buddies, choosing a protocol and thinking that it would be the best fit can be time-consuming.
Because we need to ensure effectiveness and reliability while using a protocol for chat app development. So, you may use the XMPP protocol if,
- You are completely focusing on using an open-source protocol and setting up your servers without third-party involvement.
- You are allowed to create multiple XMPP libraries that come compatible with coding languages like C, JS, Ruby, Python, Perl, Java, and more.
- You need a protocol that's been in the market for decades and has a strong developer community.
- The protocol caters to varied use cases like CoIP, gaming, IoT, and a lot more besides messaging and chat applications.
This section might have helped you to get an idea of when to use the XMPP protocol. Let us see some of the examples.
Real-life Scenarios Of XMPP Chat Apps
Till now we have learned that the XMPP chat protocol stands as the widely accepted messaging protocol by many developers. And to our surprise, many tech giants adopted this protocol to build their chat applications. They are:
WhatsApp - Uses an extended version of XMPP for chat features
Apple - Used XMPP for push notifications
Zoom- Used XMPP for chat capabilities
Grindr - Used XMPP for real-time chats
And there are more!
What are the benefits of XMPP chats?
Did you know that the protocol has been surviving in the market for over two decades now just because of its extensible nature?
Well, primarily because of its peer-to-peer messaging. And beyond this, the IETF adopted open standard protocol is known for other benefits like:
1. Assured Delivery
Because of a persistent TCP connection and the presence of XML stanza, the recipients and senders are aware of message delivery in the network without any packet loss.
2. Compatible with Multiple Languages
XMPP libraries come compatible with different programming languages like C++, C#Ruby, Java, Python, Perl, and a few more that are helpful for developers to build chat apps in any tech stack they prefer.
3. High Stability & Reliability
The XMPP protocol is able to withstand any pressure and tests because of thousands of XMPP servers online and hundreds of developers working with the protocol to look after its maintenance.
4. Decentralized Architecture
Because XMPP follows a decentralized architecture, anyone can build their servers or choose to deploy on the cloud without having to depend on any third-party vendors.
So, these are all the merits of using an XMPP protocol.
How does Mirrorfly’s XMPP-powered chat stand out from the rest?
In the realm of real-time communications, in-app chats, and video calls are everyone's choice, starting from users to product owners.
And to power multi-user team chat applications and transmission of audio and video messages, XMPP stands as the major chat protocol behind its working.
*How do you build a chat app with XMPP protocol? *
Well, there are two ways:
Start writing codes from scratch and embed the required XMPP libraries, which usually take months to develop.
Or simply integrate in-app chats in less than 10 minutes using Mirrorfly XMPP chat SDK.
*But you might think, of so many SDK providers in the market, why should you choose MirrorFly? *
Because, they excel from others by offering a customizable, scalable, secured, and white labeled messaging experience for different use cases. We'll also see about its exquisites in detail below:
100% Customizable SDKs
You can create unique experiences by adding your own brand colors, custom features, and logo with MirrorFly's XMPP-powered chat SDKs.Complete Ownership
Their SaaS and Self-hosted chat solutions give developers complete access to their platform and source code to custom-build chat apps.Hire a Developer
MirrorFly has a team of over 200+ developers to look after the complete SDK integration process.White-labeled Solution
Using MirrorFly's XMPP chat SDKs, build chat apps by adding your own logo and brand elements.Enterprise-grade Security
They offer E2E encryption protocols along with industry-grade regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and OWASP to protect data.
Now, you might have an idea as to why MirrorFly is agreed as a definite option in the crowded market.
So, start building your Flutter chat apps or apps of any framework by contacting the sales team. Or, learn more about any framework via their technical video tutorials.
Closing Thoughts!
Gosh!! We have come to the end of the blog post and we hope you got the best insight of XMPP. Just be assured that when developing a feature-rich chat app, XMPP stands as one of the best protocols, as there are many more. Which protocol to use completely depends on your use case and project requirements.
However, if you are ready to build iOS chat apps or Android using chat SDKs and think that XMPP is your cup of tea, then MirrorFly stands as the only option as their chat SDKs use XMPP protocol and will give the best framework to build a highly interactive chat app.
All you have to do is just create an account with them. Want to navigate to other resources:
XMPP Vs WebSockets
Popular Instant Messaging Protocols
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