The app that comes to our mind once we hear the word revolutionizing messaging application is WhatsApp. Looking at its popularity, there were many attempts made by the entrepreneurs to replicate the app as Whatsapp Clone. But none of those attempts yielded any positive result. Though there were similar features and functionalities deployed, there was no app that could topple the supremacy of Whatsapp as a chat app.
But just developing an application is not necessary, and one has to understand the functioning mechanism of the app and the technicalities of the app.
If you are one of the business owners, who are dedicated to building such a Whatsapp Clone app, here’s what you got to know about how WhatsApp works technically.
How does Whatsapp work technically?
The server that facilitates instant message transfer between numerous users on a real-time basis is Ejabberd (XMPP) server. Ejabberd is chosen from anything else because of the high sustainability and reliability that it offers even under peak traffic.
The programming language that is used to code Whatsapp is ERLANG. To achieve an optimal server performance, some crucial changes and restructuring of regulations are made to the Ejabberd.
Another essential reason to choose Erlang is because it is acute in adapting to hotfixes and instant updates. From this, we could learn that the application is quick to frisky to live implementation without any requirement for restarting.
Data transfer:
The clone app can manage billions of messages a day. The reason for smooth processing lies with the queue length of the message. The length of the message queue that is associated with every node is monitored. In the case of multimedia contents (like video, audio or image) or messages, they are uploaded into the HTTP server which is sent to the receiving node after being linked with the content. The content can be viewed or discarded based on the performance of the user’s receiving device.
Protocol used:
XMPP is the primary protocol used. To ensure the security of the network and to prevent the private data transfer, DSL is used.
A message is queued on the server when it is sent. Until the recipient reconnects, the message will wait in the queue. And then the sender would get notified by a double checkmark when the message is delivered. The message would be deleted from the server memory immediately once it gets delivered.
Due to this instant deletion of the message from the memory of the server, it helps to keep the resources to a minimum. Apart from this, the clone application uses HTML5 WebSockets, which is a communication technology which facilitates two-way communication.
Registration process:
Users can register for their accounts in the app by entering their mobile number. After entering the number, the user will receive an OTP, which on verification will initiate them to chat screen.
Management of database:
Mnesia DB is what handles the heavy-duty task of managing databases. It is a multiuser Distributed Database Management System which is also a default database of ERLANG. Mnesia is what helps the app to achieve quicker responses, therefore increasing the whole efficiency.
The OS upon which the app is built is FreeBSD. By improvising on ERLANG based applications and by optimizing FreeBSD, the ability would be able to achieve better performance. A webserver called YAWS is used to store multimedia files.
Build a robust WhatsApp Clone app:
Since we have discussed the technicalities of Whatsapp Clone, it’s high time to shift gears to the possibilities for developing an alternative to Whatsapp, as we already discussed, though there are many Whatsapp Clone apps out there, their results are failing because of not following the technical aspects.
If we consider such apps as examples, it might become difficult for you to understand. Thus, it is recommended to choose a readymade solution that would be of great help in creating a Whatsapp Clone as they would be a better learning material.
Framework and Architecture used for the Whatsapp Clone development:
Ejabberd:
For improving the operational efficiency, the open-source Jabber server is customized, along with the XMPP protocol. This is to speed up the sessions of signing in and resigning. This solution is encrypted with HMAC, to protect the app from account spoofing and DDoS attacks.
Mnesia and MySQL:
Both of these database services are used for data storing. While Mnesia is used for maintaining user login sessions, MySQL is used for maintaining the user details, starting from credentials of the account to personal data.
Cassandra database:
Chat logs are critical to instant messaging applications like Whatsapp. To offer an excellent read-write speed, this database is deployed. It would help the users in retrieving chat logs when they need it.
Amazon S3 bucket:
Amazon S3 bucket is used to save multimedia messages like audio, image and video. Multiple ways using email, username password, a mobile number can be used for registration.
WebRTC:
This solution contains inbuilt WebRTC, which allows users to have voice over the internet protocol or VOIP, which is in turn used for making video/voice calls in the app. WebRTC is a source code that is useful in building real-time communication or RTC in mobile apps and browsers.
Security:
The solution contains three-layered security flow like end-to-end encryption, online/offline verification protocol and HMAC authenticated screening. These three would ensure that whatever data is transmitted through the chat app would be secure.
When a user triggers a message, the SDK of the chat app will send a request to the server, Ejabberd. The server would check the availability of the recipient. After that, it works in two ways: If the recipient is available, the request for delivery is sent to the SDK of the recipient, and then the message would be delivered. If the recipient is offline, then the data would be stored in the Ejabberd as a queue message in the server.
Advantages of using Whatsapp Clone solution:
- Whatsapp Clone application is an instant messaging solution that can be customized according to the needs. The customizations can be made both in the initial stage and final stage, i.e. even after the launch.
- Chat API enables any app or website to be integrated with the messaging solution so that the app would perform without any hassles, in turn making it highly scalable.
- SDK enables the solution to allow the app to work on specific platforms. Using this solution, which is integrated with the SDK; the app would be compatible to work on iOS, Android, and Windows.
Conclusion:
With this blog, I hope that you might have learned about the technicalities behind the best instant messaging app. By purchasing the Whatsapp Clone solution, you could enter the messaging app market quickly. All you gotta do is, get to the best app development company and deploy your skills in integrating. Launch your app with flying colors.
