Thursday, December 8, 2016

Is it possible to make my own chat app like WhatsApp and use my own server somehow? How?

Is it possible to make my own chat app like WhatsApp and use my own server somehow? How?


Yes, It is possible. You would need to know a lot on how Android (Any OS you are developing for) works, Network sockets and how to setup and run a server.

I would say you need to be sure on these topics

GCM/Parse or anything of that sort
Ofcourse, if you plan on developing an application which is primarily used for Chatting, then you would want notifications support. GCM/Parse can do that trick. They are not only used for simple notifications You can build an entire chat application just by using GCM. You could have a look at this Create an Instant Messaging app using Google Cloud Messaging (GCM) for an idea. It is easy and simple.

Network Sockets
If you don't want to use GCM or anything else and want to handle the chat part for yourself, then you should know how Network Sockets work on Android. You could create a socket connection where your server acts as a Gateway. You could have ID for each user and when you have to create a chat, you could send an info to the Gateway that the user of ID (X) wants to connect to user with ID (Y). A dedicated socket could be created and the data could be sent and received on real time. I would say this is more faster and efficient for real time data transfer but a lot of work is required on the Gateway side. You could use your own server for this purpose (be sure that you have  high spec server(s) if you are planning to compete with WhatsApp). This is more reliable than the GCM counterpart.

Server Side Programming
You would need to know some programming language used in the server side. Java, ASP .NET,PHP,Python,RoR or anything for that matter would do the trick. Find out which one is best for you based on your requirements and your comfortability.

UI/UX
WhatsApp has its success because they provide better UI/UX than any other chat applications out there. It easy to use and faster to initiate a chat. You would want to know more about UI/UX for the mobile OS you are developing for. Having Material design on iOS isn't going to look good (my personal opinion) 

Scalability
You could develop the application with a single server for now. But it isn't going to do anything good like WhatsApp. You would need a multiple number of redundant servers if you wish to provide for more users. So, if you are developing a chat application, be sure that you are developing with scalability in mind.


Finally, to conclude, I would say - You can develop a chat application with knowledge and hardwork. But if you want to develop an application like WhatsApp you would need something more than these two - Patience. A lot has to be though before starting the app and if you are developing the application as a single person, You would have to dedicate a lot of time for this.

Success is because of hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.

Failure is not an option!

2nd Answer

Of course it is possible. You can develop your own App like Whats App and WeChat if you know how to develop applications on Android and iOS.

If now, You can contact Peregrine Infoworld as Peregrine Infoworld has in-house development team that is well versed with latest technologies and techniques. Getting APP development from Peregrine Infoworldcharges you less cost than other development companies. Apart, you can also enjoy other advantages with this company like

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