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Use these instructions to install, authenticate and instantiate the Chat SDK.

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Authentication

Chat requires an authenticated client with a clientId to identify users. The recommended approach is:
  1. Client-side apps (browsers, iOS, Android): Use JWT authentication with authCallback to fetch JWTs from your server
  2. Server-side apps (Node.js, Python, etc.): Use your API key directly
Sign up to Ably to create an API key in the dashboard or use the Control API to create an API key programmatically.

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Install

The Chat SDK is built on top of the Ably Pub/Sub SDK and uses that to establish a connection with Ably.
Install the Pub/Sub SDK and the Chat SDK:Import the SDKs into your project:

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Instantiate a Client

Authentication is configured on the Ably Pub/Sub client, which the Chat client wraps. The Chat SDK itself doesn’t handle authentication directly - it uses the authenticated connection from the underlying Pub/Sub client. Use token authentication for browsers and mobile apps:

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Server-side Authentication

For server-side applications or local development, you can use an API key directly:

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Next Steps

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