User Overview
To use RC Chat services, app users must integrate with RC. From RC's perspective, a user is an app user who holds a valid Token issued by RC and accesses the IM service.
Register Users
The application server (App Server) should provide the user ID (userId) of app users to RC server in exchange for a unique user Token. For RC, this process of obtaining a Token via userId constitutes [user registration], which must be completed by calling the server API.
An app client must hold a valid Token to successfully connect to RC server and use the IM service. When an app client user sends a login request to the server, the server queries the database to verify the connection request.
User Registration Limits
- The development environment? has a maximum of 100 registered users.
- In the production environment?, upgrading to IM Premium or IM Enterprise removes this limit.
Delete Users
Deleting users refers to removing registered test users in the development environment via the Console to control the total number of test users. This operation is not supported in the production environment.
Deactivate Users
Deactivating users means deleting user data from RC services. Apps can use this feature to implement account closure functionality, meeting compliance or app store requirements.
After RC confirms successful deactivation, all data associated with the user ID is deleted. You can query RC for a list of all deactivated user IDs. If needed, you can reactivate previously deactivated user IDs (note: personal data cannot be restored).
Only IM Server API provides this capability.
User Profiles
User profiles include nicknames, avatars, group nicknames, and group avatars. By default, RC does not store or maintain your app's user profile data—you must manage this data on your app side. If you need to store user profiles with RC, enable the User Profile Hosting service to have RC maintain this information.
Friend Relationships
By default, RC Chat does not synchronize or store friend relationship data from the app side—this must be maintained by your App Server. If you need RC's friend relationship management service, enable User Profile Hosting. Once enabled, you can use RC's friend management features.
Without RC's friend management service, if you need to restrict message exchanges between client users (e.g., if all userIds are leaked, allowing malicious users to bypass friend restrictions), consider using the allowlist service. Once enabled, users can only receive messages from those on their allowlist.
When using RC's friend management service, non-friends can message each other by default. To restrict messaging to friends only, enable this feature in RC Console (App Config > IM Service > User Profile Hosting > Settings > Friend Settings).
User Management APIs
| Category | Description | Client API | Server API |
|---|---|---|---|
| Register Users | Exchange a user ID for a Token. | Not available | Register Users |
| Delete Users | See Delete Users. | Not available | Not available |
| Invalidate Tokens | Invalidate Tokens issued before a specific time. | Not available | Invalidate Token |
| Deactivate Users | Deactivate a user ID and delete personal data from RC services. | Not available | Deactivate Users |
| Query Deactivated Users | Get a list of deactivated user IDs. | Not available | Query Deactivated Users |
| Reactivate User IDs | Reactivate deactivated user IDs in RC services. | Not available | Reactivate User IDs |
| Set Local User Info | Configure a user info provider to supply data at the app layer. | Set User Info Provider | Not available |
| Set RC Server User Info | Set the username and avatar used in RC push notifications. | Not available | No standalone API. User info must be provided during [user registration]. |
| Get Local User Info | Retrieve avatars, nicknames, etc., displayed in chat UIs and friend lists. | Get User Info | Not available |
| Get RC Server User Info | Retrieve registration details, including creation time and push notification usernames/avatar URLs. | Not available | Get User Info |
| Update Local User Info | Modify locally stored nicknames, avatars, etc. | Refresh User Info | Not available |
| Update RC Server User Info | Update usernames and avatars for RC push notifications. | Not available | Update User Info |
| Ban Users | Prevent users from connecting to RC Chat and immediately disconnect them. Bans can be time-limited or manually lifted. Query banned user IDs and ban expiration times. | Not available | Ban Users, Unban Users, Query Banned Users |
| Check Online Status | Query a user's online status. | Not available | Check Online Status |
| Blocklist Management | Add or remove users from a blocklist. Users on A's blocklist cannot message A. IMKit automatically handles blocking errors, displaying "Your message was sent but rejected by the recipient." IMKit doesn't provide this API—these are IMLib APIs. | Add to Blocklist, Remove from Blocklist, Check Blocklist Status, Get Blocklist | Add to Blocklist, Remove from Blocklist, Query Blocklist |
| Allowlist | Once enabled, users can only receive messages from allowlisted users. | Not available | Enable Allowlist, Query Allowlist Status, Add to Allowlist, Remove from Allowlist, Query Allowlist |