Authentication

Before users can make or receive calls, they must be authenticated with the CometChat Calls SDK. This guide covers the login and logout methods.

Sample Users

CometChat provides 5 test users: cometchat-uid-1, cometchat-uid-2, cometchat-uid-3, cometchat-uid-4, and cometchat-uid-5.

Check Login Status

Before calling login(), check if a user is already logged in using getLoggedInUser(). The SDK maintains the session internally, so you only need to login once per user session.

Kotlin

val loggedInUser = CometChatCalls.getLoggedInUser()

if (loggedInUser != null) {
    // User is already logged in
    Log.d(TAG, "User already logged in: ${loggedInUser.uid}")
} else {
    // No user logged in, proceed with login
}

Java

CallUser loggedInUser = CometChatCalls.getLoggedInUser();

if (loggedInUser != null) {
    // User is already logged in
    Log.d(TAG, "User already logged in: " + loggedInUser.getUid());
} else {
    // No user logged in, proceed with login
}

The getLoggedInUser() method returns a CallUser object if a user is logged in, or null if no session exists.

Login with UID and API Key

This method is suitable for development and testing. For production apps, use Auth Token login instead.

Security Notice

Using the API Key directly in client code is not recommended for production. Use Auth Token authentication for enhanced security.

Kotlin

val uid = "cometchat-uid-1" // Replace with your user's UID
val apiKey = "API_KEY" // Replace with your API Key

if (CometChatCalls.getLoggedInUser() == null) {
    CometChatCalls.login(uid, apiKey, object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallUser>() {
        override fun onSuccess(user: CallUser) {
            Log.d(TAG, "Login successful: ${user.uid}")
        }

        override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
            Log.e(TAG, "Login failed: ${e.message}")
        }
    })
} else {
    // User already logged in
}

Java

String uid = "cometchat-uid-1"; // Replace with your user's UID
String apiKey = "API_KEY"; // Replace with your API Key

if (CometChatCalls.getLoggedInUser() == null) {
    CometChatCalls.login(uid, apiKey, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallUser>() {
        @Override
        public void onSuccess(CallUser user) {
            Log.d(TAG, "Login successful: " + user.getUid());
        }

        @Override
        public void onError(CometChatException e) {
            Log.e(TAG, "Login failed: " + e.getMessage());
        }
    });
} else {
    // User already logged in
}

Parameter	Type	Description
uid	String	The unique identifier of the user to login
apiKey	String	Your CometChat API Key
listener	CallbackListener	Callback for success/error handling

Login with Auth Token

This is the recommended authentication method for production applications. The Auth Token is generated server-side, keeping your API Key secure.

Auth Token Flow

1. User authenticates with your backend
2. Your backend calls the CometChat Create Auth Token API
3. Your backend returns the Auth Token to the client
4. Client uses the Auth Token to login

Kotlin

val authToken = "AUTH_TOKEN" // Token received from your backend

CometChatCalls.login(authToken, object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallUser>() {
    override fun onSuccess(user: CallUser) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Login successful: ${user.uid}")
    }

    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
        Log.e(TAG, "Login failed: ${e.message}")
    }
})

Java

String authToken = "AUTH_TOKEN"; // Token received from your backend

CometChatCalls.login(authToken, new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<CallUser>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(CallUser user) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Login successful: " + user.getUid());
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) {
        Log.e(TAG, "Login failed: " + e.getMessage());
    }
});

Parameter	Type	Description
authToken	String	Auth Token generated via CometChat API
listener	CallbackListener	Callback for success/error handling

CallUser Object

On successful login, the callback returns a CallUser object containing user information:

Property	Type	Description
uid	String	Unique identifier of the user
name	String	Display name of the user
avatar	String	URL of the user’s avatar image
status	String	User’s online status

Logout

Call logout() when the user signs out of your application. This clears the local session and disconnects from CometChat services.

Kotlin

CometChatCalls.logout(object : CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<String>() {
    override fun onSuccess(message: String) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Logout successful")
    }

    override fun onError(e: CometChatException) {
        Log.e(TAG, "Logout failed: ${e.message}")
    }
})

Java

CometChatCalls.logout(new CometChatCalls.CallbackListener<String>() {
    @Override
    public void onSuccess(String message) {
        Log.d(TAG, "Logout successful");
    }

    @Override
    public void onError(CometChatException e) {
        Log.e(TAG, "Logout failed: " + e.getMessage());
    }
});

Error Handling

Common authentication errors:

Error Code	Description
ERROR_INVALID_UID	The provided UID is empty or invalid
ERROR_UID_WITH_SPACE	The UID contains spaces (not allowed)
ERROR_API_KEY_NOT_FOUND	The API Key is missing or invalid
ERROR_BLANK_AUTHTOKEN	The Auth Token is empty
ERROR_LOGIN_IN_PROGRESS	A login operation is already in progress