Feature Overview
Service Introduction
Welcome to RC Instant Messaging. This page provides a brief introduction to the architecture, system, and key concepts of RC Instant Messaging.
Key architectural features of RC:
- Seamless Integration: Embed directly into your existing app framework without altering its architecture.
- Independent Deployment: Deploy a separate service for user authorization without changing your app server's architecture.
- Reliable Communication: Focus on providing robust communication capabilities using a private binary protocol that ensures lightweight, ordered, and lossless message delivery.
- Secure Authentication: Utilize secure identity authentication and authorization methods to prevent SDK misuse, such as spam messages or unauthorized mass messaging.
RC Instant Messaging does not require you to establish a parallel user system outside your app, nor does it necessitate syncing user data to RC. It seamlessly integrates with your existing system architecture and account system without disrupting your current business operations.
Feature Highlights
RC currently offers instant messaging products including one-to-one chat, group chat, ultra group, and chatroom. In RC's context, these products correspond to different conversation types.
- One-to-One Chat (Private): A one-on-one messaging service.
- Group Chat (Group): Similar to WeChat groups.
- Ultra Group: Similar to Discord, offering a new group business model with public/private channels and user groups, ideal for building super communities.
- Chatroom: Only online users can receive messages, widely applicable in live streaming, communities, gaming, social networking, and interest-based discussions.
Key Differences Between One-to-One Chat, Group, Ultra Group, and Chatroom
| Feature | One-to-One Chat (Private) | Group | Ultra Group | Chatroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scenario Analogy | Similar to WeChat private chat | Similar to WeChat group chat | Similar to Discord | Chatroom |
| Characteristics/Advantages | Supports offline push notifications and historical message roaming | Supports offline push notifications and historical message roaming; suitable for interest groups, work groups, and customer service communication | No member limit; supports message editing; provides public/private channels, user groups, and other community features | No member limit; only online users can receive messages; local history is cleared upon exit |
| Pricing Plans | All plans | All plans | Only available with Chat Ultimate Plan | All plans |
| Service Activation | Not required | Not required | Required | Not required |
| UI Components | Provides Android/iOS/Web versions of Global IM UIKit | Provides Android/iOS/Web versions of Global IM UIKit | Not provided | Not provided |
| Creation Method | Not applicable | Server API | Server API | Server API |
| Destruction/Dissolution Method | Not applicable | Server API | Server API | Server API or via Auto-Destroy Mechanism |
| Member Limit | Not applicable | Maximum of 3000 members | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| User Join Restrictions | Not applicable | Unlimited | Maximum of 100 groups, with up to 50 channels per group | Default limit of 1 chatroom; can disable the restriction |
| Access to Pre-Join Messages | Not applicable | Not allowed by default; can disable the restriction | Not allowed by default; can disable the restriction | Latest messages can be accessed upon joining, up to 50 messages |
| Client Message Sending Rate | 5 messages/second per client | 5 messages/second per client | 5 messages/second per client | 5 messages/second per client |
| Server Message Sending Rate | See the default rate limit in the API list. It can be increased for a fee. | See the default rate limit in the API list. It can be increased for a fee. | See the default rate limit in the API list. It can be increased for a fee. | See the default rate limit in the API list. It can be increased for a fee. |
| Extensible Messages | Supported | Supported | Supported | Not supported |
| Message Editing | Not supported | Not supported | Supported | Not supported |
| Message Reliability | 100% reliable | 100% reliable | 100% reliable | Messages exceeding server consumption limits are actively dropped; Message Priority Service and Chatroom Allowlist Service can be enabled. |
| Local Message Storage | Supported on mobile and PC | Supported on mobile and PC | Supported on mobile and PC | Not supported |
| Message Cloud Storage | Requires activation; storage duration 6 - 36 months | Requires activation; storage duration 6 - 36 months | Default storage duration 7 days; offers 3 - 36 months storage service | Requires activation; storage duration 2 - 36 months |
| Offline Messages | Default 7-day offline message cache | Default 7-day offline message cache | Not supported | Not supported |
| Local Message Search | Supported | Supported | Supported | Not supported |
| Offline Push Notifications* | Supported | Supported | Supported; push frequency can be adjusted | Not supported |
* Offline push notification service refers to using RC IM cloud push service to send notifications to users' mobile devices via third-party push services when they are offline. RC is responsible for integrating with manufacturer push platforms, covering Xiaomi, Huawei, Honor, OPPO (applicable to OnePlus, realme), vivo, Meizu, FCM, and APNs system-level push channels. Supports tag-based push, multiple push scenarios, push statistics, and broadcast to all users.
Advanced and Extended Features
The IM service supports advanced and extended features, including but not limited to:
- User Management: Features like user bans, blocklists, allowlists, group and chatroom mutes, and chatroom member bans.
- Online Status Subscription: Synchronize the online, offline, or logout status of each user terminal to a server address specified by the app developer.
- Multi-Device Message Synchronization: Supports message synchronization across desktop, mobile, and multiple web clients.
- Post-messaging Callback: Synchronizes messages from one-to-one chats, groups, chatrooms, and ultra groups to a server address specified by the app developer.
- Content Moderation: Supports setting up a sensitive word list to filter or replace sensitive words in messages. Using the message callback service, messages can be forwarded to a server address specified by the app developer to determine if they should be sent to the intended recipient.
- Server-Side Push Notifications: Supports tag-based pushes, package name pushes, push statistics, and broadcast to users.
Some features require service activation via the Console. Certain features are part of paid value-added services. For details, refer to the Instant Messaging Pricing Details.
Server-Side
Your backend can utilize the IM Server API provided by RC to perform the following operations:
Some advanced features are exclusively available via the IM Server API, such as system notifications, broadcast to online users, and user bans. For detailed descriptions, refer to the API Interface List.
The instant messaging service provides Server Callback (Webhook), allowing you to synchronize business data and status notifications to your specified callback address, such as changes in user online status or chatroom room status. You can control whether messages are sent to recipients via parameters in the callback response body. All server callbacks require separate callback address configuration and activation in the Console.
Client-Side
Your application can connect to RC services, transmit instant messages, and build additional features by integrating the IMLib SDK and UI libraries.
- Core IM SDK: The IMLib SDK provides a straightforward solution for integrating instant messaging (IM) capabilities. With the communication capabilities and objects like conversations and messages encapsulated in the IMLib SDK, you can build your own UI from scratch.
- IM UI Libraries: Global IM UIKit is a UI component library that integrates chat and conversation list interfaces, offering extensive customization options to simplify your integration experience.
As long as clients (including app servers) use the same App Key, clients across different platforms and SDK versions can exchange messages seamlessly.
Console
The Console serves as a comprehensive service platform, offering one-stop access and management capabilities for App Key, App Secret, billing operations, and various other feature configurations.
You can also use the Console to debug IM Server APIs, query message status, check connection status, add Webhooks, and more.
Data and Privacy
RC does not utilize customer data. Additionally, RC provides robust data privacy protection policies. For more information, refer to the SDK Privacy Policy.
If you need to store, view, or retrieve data related to instant messaging, consider the following options:
- To store historical messages from one-to-one chats, group chats, or chatrooms in the cloud, you can enable the message cloud storage service. The default storage duration varies by business type and can be adjusted as needed. Data stored by this service is solely for client-side retrieval of historical messages.
- To directly download the message history of all users in your app, enable the Server API historical message log download service. Once enabled, you can use the server API to retrieve message logs for up to three days.
- Additionally, you can enable the post-messaging callback to synchronize messages in real-time to your business server.
- Visit the RC Console Data Statistics Page to view instant messaging user statistics, business statistics, message statistics, and business health check data. After enabling the relevant services, you can also access data such as business analytics.