{"id":5587,"date":"2022-06-22T07:34:53","date_gmt":"2022-06-22T12:34:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.contus.com\/?p=5587"},"modified":"2026-08-07T05:20:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T10:20:56","slug":"how-whatsapp-works-technically-and-how-to-build-an-app-similar-to-it","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/how-whatsapp-works-technically-and-how-to-build-an-app-similar-to-it\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Create a Chat App Like WhatsApp (2026 Guide)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>WhatsApp has turned into a basic necessity for today\u2019s generation. Although WhatsApp Business is user-friendly and easy to launch for a business with a simple API, most enterprises choose to build their own platform considering data privacy and control.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In this article, I\u2019ll explain how businesses big or small can build their own communication app like WhatsApp, without compromising on the features and experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Key topics covered in this article:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Why Build a Chat App Like WhatsApp&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Steps to build your own app with a custom CPaaS<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Challenges you might face during the development<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cost &amp; Timeline of the project<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Without any further ado, <strong>let\u2019s get started.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Why_Build_A_Chat_App_Like_WhatsApp\"><\/span><strong>Why Build A Chat App Like WhatsApp?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>WhatsApp has become an essential part of everyday communication. The platform has become a baseline expectation for several business chat apps. Enterprises are trying to achieve the same experience as WhatsApp gives to its users. It\u2019s easy to use, and meets the purpose just right on point.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When you build your own chat app instead of using an app like WhatsApp, you have all the control. You get to choose how your app looks, where your data is stored, and what features your team will use.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-left\">Ultimately, building your own app means you are not renting a communication infrastructure for your business, rather you own it all yourself.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"WhatsApp_vs_a_Self-Hosted_Chat_App_Head_to_Head_Comparison\"><\/span><strong>WhatsApp vs a Self-Hosted Chat App: Head to Head Comparison<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td><strong>WhatsApp \/ WhatsApp Business API<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Self-Hosted Chat App (Like MirrorFly)<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u274c Limited Customization<\/td><td>\u2705 100% customization<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u274c Limited data ownership<\/td><td>\u2705 Complete data ownership<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u274c Cloud-hosted only<\/td><td>\u2705 Self-hosted, your servers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u274c No source code access<\/td><td>\u2705 Full source code access<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u274c Only pre-built security<\/td><td>\u2705 Custom security<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Framework_Architecture_of_MirrorFly\"><\/span><strong>Framework &amp; Architecture of MirrorFly<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When a user triggers a message, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/best-chat-sdk\/\">chat SDK<\/a> sends a request to the Ejabbered server. In return the server checks for the availability of the recipient and if available, the delivery request is sent to the recipient&#8217;s SDK and then delivered. If the recipient is offline, the data is stored in the Ejabbered as the message will be queued in the server.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/how-whatsapp-works-1024x535.png\" alt=\"Create a real time chat application like whatsapp with server structure\" class=\"wp-image-25633\" title=\"contus fly real time chat app work flow\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Create a real time chat application<\/em> like whatsapp with<em> server structure<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Ejabberd\"><\/span><strong>1. Ejabberd<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Ejabberd<\/strong>, the open-source Jabber server has been customized by MirrorFly to improve operational efficiency. The&nbsp;<strong>XMPP<\/strong>&nbsp;protocol has also been customized to&nbsp;speed up<em> signing in and re-signing in sessions<\/em>. To protect the app from DDOS attacks and to prevent account spoofing, this mobile&nbsp;chat app solution&nbsp;has been encrypted with&nbsp;<em>HMAC<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Mnesia_And_MySQL\"><\/span><strong>2. Mnesia And MySQL<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For data storage, MirrorFly makes use of both Mnesia and MySQL. While Mnesia is used to maintain user login sessions, MySQL contributes to maintaining user details, right from account credentials to other personal data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Cassandra_Database\"><\/span><strong>3. Cassandra Database<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Chat logs are a key for instant messaging applications. In order to save chat history between several nodes, MirrorFly has deployed this database, which offers a good read and write speed, thus helping users retrieve chat logs as and when they need them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Amazon_S3_Bucket\"><\/span><strong>4. Amazon S3 Bucket<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Multimedia messages including audio, image, video are saved in&nbsp;the Amazon S3 bucket. Registration for the app usage can be done in multiple ways including mobile number, email, user name password and social login.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_WebRTC\"><\/span><strong>5. WebRTC<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>WebRTC is a source code that is used to build&nbsp;real-time communication (RTC)&nbsp;in browsers and mobile app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MirrorFly has inbuilt&nbsp;WebRTC&nbsp;that allows its users to have VOIP (voice over the internet protocol) voice\/video calls&nbsp;in their messaging app<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Security\"><\/span><strong>6. Security<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirrorfly.com\/chat\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MirrorFly\u2019s chat SDKs<\/a> let you defend your chat platforms from any type of third-party intrusions, attacks, spam, and unwanted content with&nbsp;stringent security protocols&nbsp;like E2E, AES-256 bit, and TLS\/SSL. Furthermore, its APIs are compatible with industry-regulatory standards like&nbsp;HIPAA&nbsp;and GDPR thus protecting user-sensitive data from exposure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_Build_a_WhatsApp-Like_Chat_App_with_MirrorFly\"><\/span><strong>How to Build a WhatsApp-Like Chat App with MirrorFly<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Having discussed the technicalities of WhatsApp, it is time to shift gears and analyze the possibilities of creating a WhatsApp alternative. There are plenty of secure messaging apps on the market that appear to be perfect WhatsApp clones. The reality is that many of the attempts to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirrorfly.com\/blog\/whatsapp-development\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">build WhatsApp-like apps<\/a> are failing because they do not follow the technical aspects. Streamlining software testing services is the key to overcome failure and brings a successful app to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what if we buy a third-party API rather than building secure a chat infrastructure from scratch? Won\u2019t that be successful? Without a doubt, yes! With chat API providers like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirrorfly.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MirrorFly<\/a>, you can easily build a WhatsApp-like chat app and architecture in the quickest time possible with the features you need.&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MirrorFly is known to be one of the #1 and leading providers of Saas &amp; Self-hosted chat SDKs that developers highly prefer for their quick integration capabilities, high-end messaging features, ultra-low latencies, and high scalability.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plus, you can build the best customizable chat service for Android, iOS, and web apps without compromising on the security part. MirrorFly\u2019s self-hosted chat SDKs for mobile and web also come as an ideal choice to build white-label <a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/how-to-build-a-chat-system-in-five-mins\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/how-to-build-a-chat-system-in-five-mins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">messaging system<\/a> for a one-time license cost.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Common_Challenges_In_Building_A_Chat_App_Like_WhatsApp\"><\/span><strong>Common Challenges In Building A Chat App Like WhatsApp<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Just because WhatsApp is easy to use, it does not mean the development is effortless. Most teams struggle with building a truly user-friendly app like WhatsApp.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the real-world challenges teams face during the process:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Reliability_of_Message_Delivery\"><\/span>1. <strong>Reliability of Message Delivery:<\/strong> <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Let&#8217;s say an user&#8217;s network connection drops. The order of messages must not change during delivery.\u00a0Each message must be received in the correct order. If message queuing is not done right, users may get duplicate messages, miss out a few or deliver messages in the wrong order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Scaling_WebSocket_or_Server_Connections\"><\/span><strong>2. Scaling WebSocket or Server Connections:<\/strong> <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Every user connects with the server persistently. If the number of users is small, it is easy to maintain this connection.\u00a0 But when the user count increases with thousands or millions of concurrent users might be a challenge without horizontal scaling and load balancing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Managing_Uptime_Downtime\"><\/span>3. <strong>Managing Uptime &amp; Downtime:<\/strong> <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A chat app must be available all the time, especially when it is used for workplace communication. If an outage occurs even for a short time, it might impact the trust of the users.\u00a0 To curb such service disruptions, you need to implement redundant servers with failover systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Security_DDoS_protection\"><\/span>4. <strong>Security &amp; DDoS protection:<\/strong> <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Messaging platforms are easy to get spammed, attacked with identity spoofing, or DDoS.\u00a0This is why chat apps need strong end-to-end encryption, secure authentication, and DDoS protection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Consistency_of_Maintenance\"><\/span>5. <strong>Consistency of Maintenance:<\/strong> <span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The responsibility of a chat app developer does not end just with its launch.\u00a0 You need a dedicated team that manages the regular protocol updates, security patches and feature enhancements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These technical and operational challenges are critical reasons why many businesses opt to build their messaging app with a ready-made chat SDK instead of building every component from scratch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Cost_Timeline_To_Build_A_Chat_App_Like_Whatsapp\"><\/span><strong>Cost &amp; Timeline To Build A Chat App Like Whatsapp<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are two practical ways to build a chat app like WhatsApp: Build from scratch writing the code line by line or use a pre-built chat SDK.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Building from scratch:<\/strong> This approach is a long and complex process. You&#8217;ll need to set up XMPP, run the servers, design the databases and maintain the complete infrastructure. Evidently, this approach gives full control of data, but the process is longer, and needs high investment.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Building with a Chat SDK:<\/strong> When you build with a pre-built solution like MirrorFly, it already includes the complete features, storage and backend infrastructure you need for your platform. All you need to do is integrate the SDK, connect it to your server and go live. This approach also gives you full control of your data, while reducing the time and cost of development.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Comparison: Build It Yourself vs Build It with an SDK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><tbody><tr><td>    <strong>Comparison<\/strong><\/td><td>                    <strong>Build It Yourself<\/strong><\/td><td>           <strong>Build It with a Chat SDK<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Investment<\/strong><\/td><td>25K &#8211; 500K+ plus infrastructure costs<\/td><td>One-time license or subscription<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Time to Launch<\/strong><\/td><td>6 &#8211; 12 months<\/td><td>As fast as 48 hours<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Development<\/strong><\/td><td>Build everything from scratch<\/td><td>Integrate the SDK and customize<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Infrastructure<\/strong><\/td><td>Manage servers, scaling, and security<\/td><td>Already handled<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Maintenance<\/strong><\/td><td>Ongoing updates and bug fixes<\/td><td>Managed by the SDK provider<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Your Focus<\/strong><\/td><td>Building the chat engine<\/td><td>Building your app experience<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"MirrorFlys_Notable_Features\"><\/span><strong>MirrorFly\u2019s Notable Features<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"clear: both; display: block;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div id=\"feature-tabs\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><i class=\"feature_sprite native_ic\"><\/i><span class=\"regular\">One-to-One &amp; Group Chat<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><i class=\"feature_sprite mobile_ic\"><\/i><span class=\"regular\">Push Notifications<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><i class=\"feature_sprite reward_ic\"><\/i><span class=\"regular\">Online Presence Indicator<\/span><i class=\"feature_sprite payment_ic\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Topic-based<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">chat<\/span><i class=\"feature_sprite sync_ic\"><\/i><i class=\"feature_sprite custom_ic\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><i class=\"feature_sprite advnc-rpt\"><\/i><span class=\"regular\">Lite-chat app integration in < 5 mins<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><i class=\"feature_sprite seo-ic\"><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirrorfly.com\/video-conferencing-api.php\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"><span class=\"regular\">Video Conferencing<\/span><\/a><i class=\"feature_sprite ggl-anly\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">File sharing (uploading large files without any worries) \n<\/span><i class=\"feature_sprite nws-ltr\"><\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><i class=\"feature_sprite stck-mngnt\"><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Chat history &#038; Metadata <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><i class=\"feature_sprite cus-mngnt\"><\/i><span class=\"regular\">End-to-end encrypted security<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\"><i class=\"feature_sprite cat-mngnt\"><\/i>Plug &#038; Play UI Kits<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">24\/7 Tech Support<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div style=\"clear: both; display: block;\">\n<p><\/p><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"recommended-reading\">\n  <div class=\"recommended-header\"><svg class=\"gW_Lq\" style=\"float: left;width: 166px;\" viewBox=\"0 0 210 190\"><defs><path id=\"e26um264ea\" d=\"M18 0h174c9.941 0 18 8.059 18 18v154c0 9.941-8.059 18-18 18H18c-9.941 0-18-8.059-18-18V18C0 8.059 8.059 0 18 0z\"><\/path><\/defs><g fill=\"none\" fill-rule=\"evenodd\"><g><g transform=\"translate(-188 -8232) translate(188 8232)\"><mask id=\"pdc13wuw9b\" fill=\"#fff\"><use xlink:href=\"#e26um264ea\"><\/use><\/mask><circle cx=\"63\" cy=\"95\" r=\"147\" fill=\"#06F\" mask=\"url(#pdc13wuw9b)\"><\/circle><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n       <svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"122.88\" height=\"101.362\" viewBox=\"0 0 122.88 101.362\" style=\"position: absolute;left: 40px;width: 75px;top: 20px;\">\n       <g id=\"read-book\" transform=\"translate(0 0.002)\">\n         <path id=\"Path_14\" data-name=\"Path 14\" d=\"M12.64,77.27l.31-54.92H6.75V92.23a105.631,105.631,0,0,1,25.68-3.66A72.227,72.227,0,0,1,56.3,92.33a50.968,50.968,0,0,0-16.36-8.88,59.8,59.8,0,0,0-23.66-2.52,3.379,3.379,0,0,1-3.64-3.08,2.81,2.81,0,0,1,0-.58Zm90.98-57.79a4.059,4.059,0,0,1-.04-.51,2.922,2.922,0,0,1,.04-.51V7.34a51.6,51.6,0,0,0-22.86,2.78,31.5,31.5,0,0,0-15.9,12.44V85.9a80.643,80.643,0,0,1,17.58-9.1,50.565,50.565,0,0,1,21.18-3.02V19.48Zm6.75-3.88h9.14a3.372,3.372,0,0,1,3.37,3.37V96.63a3.372,3.372,0,0,1-3.37,3.37,3.28,3.28,0,0,1-1.09-.18c-9.4-2.69-18.74-4.48-27.99-4.54a64.964,64.964,0,0,0-27.08,5.52,3.4,3.4,0,0,1-1.92.56,3.445,3.445,0,0,1-1.92-.56,64.776,64.776,0,0,0-27.08-5.52c-9.25.06-18.58,1.85-27.99,4.54a3.28,3.28,0,0,1-1.09.18A3.352,3.352,0,0,1,0,96.64V18.97A3.372,3.372,0,0,1,3.37,15.6h9.61l.06-11.26a3.366,3.366,0,0,1,2.68-3.28h0a53.466,53.466,0,0,1,29.1,2.23A37.372,37.372,0,0,1,61.61,15.54,39.244,39.244,0,0,1,78.39,3.82a59.114,59.114,0,0,1,29.09-2.8,3.365,3.365,0,0,1,2.88,3.33h0V15.6ZM68.13,91.82a72.556,72.556,0,0,1,22.33-3.26,105.146,105.146,0,0,1,25.68,3.66V22.35h-5.77V77.57A3.372,3.372,0,0,1,107,80.94a3.331,3.331,0,0,1-.78-.09,43.167,43.167,0,0,0-21.51,2.29,75.366,75.366,0,0,0-16.58,8.68ZM58.12,85.25V22.46c-3.53-6.23-9.24-10.4-15.69-12.87A46.533,46.533,0,0,0,19.75,7.18l-.38,66.81a65.191,65.191,0,0,1,22.64,3.06,57.689,57.689,0,0,1,16.11,8.2Z\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path>\n       <\/g>\n   <\/svg>\n<\/div>\n   <h3 class=\"has-text-align-center title\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Now_Its_Tips\"><\/span>Recommended Reading<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n   <ul class=\"guide\">\n       <li>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/best-white-label-chat-apps\/\" style=\"float: left;  cursor: pointer;\">Best White label Chat Apps: Our Top 10 Picks<\/a>\n       <\/li>\n       <li>\n            <a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/build-a-android-chat-app\/\" style=\"float: left; padding-left: 0; cursor: pointer;\">Android Chat App Tutorial<\/a>\n       <\/li>\n   <\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Benefits_of_Using_MirrorFlys_Chat_SDKs\"><\/span><strong>Benefits of Using MirrorFly\u2019s Chat SDKs<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Build_Your_Own_Customizable_Chat_App\"><\/span><strong>1. Build Your Own Customizable Chat App:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>MirrorFly&#8217;s selfhosted messaging solution offers 100% customizable SDKs on 150+ call and chat features so developers can build a highly secure and scalable chat app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Use_our_Chat_APIs_to_host_apps_on_your_premises_or_cloud\"><\/span><strong>2. Use our Chat APIs to host apps on your premises or cloud:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>MirrorFly offers two deployment options for developers to host their chat apps. They can either opt for the \u2018Pay-as-you-go\u2019 model that would give them a dedicated space on MirrorFly\u2019s cloud server, or if they wish to host it on their premises, our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/best-instant-messaging-solutions\/\">self-hosted messaging solution<\/a> can be availed of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Our_Messaging_SDKs_are_highly_compatible_to_use\"><\/span><strong>3. Our Messaging SDKs are highly compatible to use:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Mirrrorfly\u2019s chat SDKs are highly compatible with Android, iOS, and web platforms, as well as browsers like Firefox, Safari, and Chrome. Further, our APIs are highly adaptable to any programming language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_In-app_messaging_features_that_are_industry-best\"><\/span><strong>4. In-app messaging features that are industry-best:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>MirrorFly\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirrorfly.com\/chat\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">in-app chat SDKs<\/a> offer 150+ customizable high-end messaging features like single and group chats, push notifications, online presence indicators, read receipts, and quite a few more for both monthly subscriptions and one-time license costs. These features can be customized as per business requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><strong>Conclusion<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To summarize, this article covered the complete workflow of WhatsApp architecture and discussed the frameworks and architecture of the MirrorFly messaging SDK. With this guidance, you will be able to build instant messaging for business apps on your own with all the modern features that are available in WhatsApp and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Above this, we make your chat app deployment easier than ever!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As one of the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/best-self-hosted-chat-platforms\/\"> leading self-hosted chat platform<\/a>s, MirrorFly gives you the flexibility to deploy your chat apps on your own servers. Sounds interesting? Talk to our team of experts to learn more!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"cta-wrapper-two\">\n<h5 class=\"cta-heading-two\">Are You Planning To Build Your Own <span class=\"highlight\">Whatsapp-like Chat App?\n<\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"cta-content-two\">MirrorFly\u2019s customizable chat &#038; video call solution helps you create an enterprise-grade messenger like WhatsApp with 1000+ in app chat features.<\/p>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mirrorfly.com\/contact-sales.php\" class=\"self-host-cta-btn\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Request a Free Demo<\/a>\n<ul class=\"cta-wrapper-list-two\">\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/disto\/img\/tick-icon.svg\">\nComplete Data Ownership<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/disto\/img\/tick-icon.svg\">\nHost on Your Server<\/li>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/disto\/img\/tick-icon.svg\">\nHire Development Team<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAAEAAAABCAQAAAC1HAwCAAAAC0lEQVR42mNkYAAAAAYAAjCB0C8AAAAASUVORK5CYII=\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-content\/themes\/disto\/img\/saas-cta-bg.webp\" class=\"cta-image-thumbnail-two\">\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Frequently_Asked_Questions_FAQs\"><\/span><strong>Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-1 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\"><div id=\"rank-math-faq\" class=\"rank-math-block\">\n<div class=\"rank-math-list \">\n<div id=\"faq-question-1677068830862\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_long_does_it_take_to_build_a_WhatsApp-like_chat_app\"><\/span><strong><strong>How long does it take to build a WhatsApp-like chat app?<\/strong><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>It takes around 6 &#8211; 12 months to build an app from scratch. Using a pre-built chat SDK like MirrorFly or Apphitect, you can launch a WhatsApp-like messaging platform in less than 48 hours.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1677069005346\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_I_build_a_chat_app_like_WhatsApp_for_both_Android_and_Web\"><\/span><strong><strong>Can I build a chat app like WhatsApp for both Android and Web?<\/strong><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Yes. It is possible to build an app like WhatsApp for both Android and Web. Most chat SDKs are designed to work on both mobile and web environments.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1677069064729\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_are_the_security_risks_of_WhatsApp\"><\/span><strong>What are the security risks of WhatsApp?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>There are 3 major security and compliance issues with the Whatsapp app: lack of transparency, limited capacity to analyze data at scale and absence of archiving features.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1677069087667\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_design_a_chat_application_like_WhatsApp\"><\/span><strong>How to design a chat application like WhatsApp?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>1. Analyze the Whatsapp source code<br \/>2. Plan your app idea based on the source code<br \/>3. Choose the platform &#8211; iOS, Android or Web<br \/>4. Plan the user experience (UX)<br \/>5. Add the messaging features<br \/>6. Publish your app on Play Store or App Store<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1677069373507\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_there_a_good_alternative_to_WhatsApp\"><\/span><strong>Is there a good alternative to WhatsApp?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Whatsapp is a popular messaging app with voice and video call features, but there are many other apps like Signal, Telegram and Wire that offer similar messaging features with end-to-end encryption, just like Whatsapp. If you\u2019d like to build a whatsapp alternative on your own, you should consider a readily-available white-label chat solution like MirrorFly. So, you can reduce development time, customize the chat features and host the chat SDK on your own servers.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1677069445465\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_safe_is_a_self-hosted_chat_app\"><\/span><strong>How safe is a self-hosted chat app?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>A self-hosted chat app can provide robust security and privacy as it lets you take complete control of the chat infrastructure. You can implement multiple encryption layers, multi-level authentication and periodic updates to resolve potential security risks.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1697528101494\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_technology_is_WhatsApp_built_on\"><\/span>What technology is WhatsApp built on?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>WhatsApp is built on native programming languages based on the platforms listed below.<br \/>1. <strong>Android:<\/strong> Java<br \/>2. <strong>iOS:<\/strong> Swift<br \/>3. <strong>Webapp:<\/strong> Javascript, HTML, and CSS<br \/>4. <strong>PC Desktop app:<\/strong> C\/C#\/Java<br \/>5. <strong>Mac Desktop app:<\/strong> Swift\/Objective-C<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"faq-question-1697528138763\" class=\"rank-math-list-item\">\n<h3 class=\"rank-math-question \"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_much_does_it_cost_to_build_a_chat_app_like_WhatsApp\"><\/span><strong>How much does it cost to build a chat app like WhatsApp?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<div class=\"rank-math-answer \">\n\n<p>Building a chat app similar to WhatsApp costs between $25000 to $500000 or more along with charges for ongoing maintenance. Developing one with a chat SDK is comparably affordable as you\u2019ll pay only once based on your business-specific requirements.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<section>\n        <div class=\"linkSectionWrapper\">\n            <h6 id=\"fl-heading\" class=\"fl-heading\">\n        <span class=\"fl-heading-text\">People Frequently Read: <\/span>\n        <\/h6>\n        <ul class=\"rich-text\">\n            <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/best-in-app-chat-api-sdk\/\">Best In-App Chat APIs and SDKs in Market<\/a>\n            <\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/best-chat-sdk\/\">Best Real-Time Chat SDKs to Build Messaging Experiences<\/a><\/li>\n            <li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/build-a-android-chat-app\/\">Android Chat App Tutorial: Building A Real-time Messaging<\/a>\n        <\/ul>\n    <\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"VideoObject\",\n  \"name\": \"How to Create a Messaging App Like WhatsApp?\",\n  \"description\": \"Are you looking to build a WhatsApp like chat application? 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Although WhatsApp Business is user-friendly and easy to launch for a business with a simple API, most enterprises choose to build their own platform considering data privacy and control.&nbsp; In this article, I\u2019ll explain how businesses big or small can build their own communication app [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":29708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","_sitemap_exclude":false,"_sitemap_priority":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1902],"tags":[1471,155,1472,1076,1473,1077,1075,1074],"class_list":["post-5587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-communication","tag-build-a-chat-app-like-whatsapp","tag-clone","tag-create-a-messaging-app-like-whatsapp","tag-im-apps","tag-make-a-chat-app-like-whatsapp","tag-mobile-chat-apps","tag-technical-details","tag-whatsapp"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5587","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5587"}],"version-history":[{"count":144,"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5587\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53707,"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5587\/revisions\/53707"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5587"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5587"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.contus.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5587"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}