Glossary
In-App Chat
In-app chat is a real-time messaging experience embedded inside your own product, so users exchange messages without leaving the interface or switching to a separate app.
General definition
In-app chat refers to messaging functionality that lives natively inside a web or mobile application. Unlike integrating a third-party chat widget that redirects users elsewhere, in-app chat is rendered within the product’s own UI, keeping the user in context throughout the conversation.
- Instant delivery over WebSocket or a similar persistent connection
- Support for text, images, files and reactions inside the product UI
- Per-app identity tied to the existing user authentication system
- Push notifications that bring users back when the app is closed
In-app chat is common in marketplaces (buyer-seller messaging), healthcare (patient-provider communication), gaming, SaaS platforms and team collaboration tools. Because the product owner controls the server and the data, in-app chat is the preferred pattern wherever data privacy, compliance or brand consistency matters.
In the Ethora ecosystem
The Ethora Chat SDK is purpose-built for in-app chat. Drop the React, iOS or Android component into your project, point it at your app ID and users can exchange messages in minutes. Cloud, self-hosted and dedicated server options mean you choose where the data lives.
For healthcare, finance and other regulated verticals, the self-hosted path keeps all message content on your own infrastructure, satisfying data-residency and audit requirements that a shared SaaS chat widget cannot meet.
