BlazorChat 1.1.0

BlazorChat

A drop-in, embeddable real-time chat component for Blazor applications.

BlazorChat is designed to be a lightweight, yet feature-rich, chat solution that can be easily integrated into any Blazor Server or Blazor WebAssembly application. It delegates persistence, broadcasting, and presence to a host-provided service, allowing for flexible backend implementations.

Key Features

• ✅ Real-time Messaging: Built for instant message delivery.
• ✅ Backend Agnostic: Pluggable backend via the IChatService interface.
• ✅ In-Memory Provider: Includes a basic in-memory service for quick demos and testing.
• ✅ Message Reactions: Users can react to messages with emojis.
• ✅ Typing Indicators: Shows when other users are typing.
• ✅ Active User Presence: Displays a count and list of active users in the thread.
• ✅ Message Editing & Deletion: Users can edit or delete their own messages. Deletions are instant and show a soft-delete tombstone ("This message was deleted") to all participants in real time. The message owner can undo the deletion directly from the tombstone.
• ✅ Reply to Message: Provides context for conversations.
• ✅ Customizable Styling: Easily theme the widget using CSS variables or choose from presets.
• ✅ Accessible: Designed with ARIA attributes and keyboard navigation in mind.

Getting Started

Installation

First, add the BlazorChat NuGet package to your Blazor project.

dotnet add package BlazorChat

Backend Service Configuration

The ChatWidget requires a backend service that implements the IChatService interface. You can use the provided in-memory service for demos or a SignalR-based service for production.

Option 1: In-Memory Service (For Demos)

For quick setup and testing, you can use the built-in InMemoryChatService. This service works within a single server instance.

In your Program.cs, register it as a singleton:

// Program.cs 
	using BlazorChat.Services;

// ... other services 
	builder.Services.AddSingleton<IChatService, InMemoryChatService>();

Note: The InMemoryChatService is for demonstration purposes only. For any real multi-user application, a robust SignalR backend is required.

Option 2: BlazorChat.Server (Recommended for Production)

To unlock the full potential of BlazorChat in a scalable, multi-user production environment, we offer BlazorChat.Server.

BlazorChat.Server is a pre-built, enterprise-ready SignalR backend designed to work seamlessly with the BlazorChat component. It provides the complete SignalR hub infrastructure and well-defined interfaces for you to connect your own database and persistence layer.

Benefits of BlazorChat.Server:

• Instant Setup: Complete SignalR hub implementation ready to use.
• Flexible Persistence: Includes clean storage interfaces — implement them against your database of choice (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB, MongoDB, etc.).
• Scalable Architecture: Built to handle a large number of concurrent users.
• Authentication Ready: Easily integrates with your existing authentication system.
• Professionally Supported: Receive dedicated support for your chat implementation.

Skip the hassle of building your own SignalR infrastructure. Learn more and purchase BlazorChat.Server at www.loneworx.com.

Add the Component to a Page

Once your service is configured (either the demo InMemoryChatService or the production BlazorChat.Server), embed the ChatWidget in any Razor component. The component will automatically create its own SignalRChatService instance if one is not injected.

@page "/my-chat"

<ChatWidget ThreadId="project-alpha-general" 
            ChatSender="@currentUser" 
            HubUrl="/chathub" 
            ThreadTitle="Project Alpha Chat" />

@code 
{ 
    private ChatSender currentUser = new() { Id = "user123", 
                                             DisplayName = "Sam Wilson", 
                                             AvatarUrl = "https://i.pravatar.cc/150?img=11" }; 
}

Component Parameters

Customization

You can customize the look and feel of the chat widget by overriding the available CSS variables. Apply these styles in your global stylesheet.

/* Example: In your app.css */ 

:root { 
    --blazor-chat-bubble-background-mine: #007bff; 
    --blazor-chat-bubble-color-mine: white; 
    --blazor-chat-bubble-background-other: #f1f1f1; 
    --blazor-chat-bubble-color-other: #333; 
    --blazor-chat-border-radius: 12px; 
}




## 📜 License

### BlazorChat Component (GPL v3 - Free & Open Source)

**BlazorChat** is free and open-source software licensed under **GPL v3**:

- ✅ Full-featured chat component
- ✅ InMemory service for demos and testing
- ✅ Free for open-source projects
- ✅ Free for proprietary applications (GPL v3 allows this)
- ✅ Community support via GitHub Issues
- ⚠️ **GPL v3 Requirement:** Modifications to BlazorChat itself must remain open-source under GPL v3

**See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for full GPL v3 terms.**

### BlazorChat.Server (Commercial Product)

For **production environments**, **BlazorChat.Server** provides a complete SignalR backend infrastructure:

- ✅ **SignalR Hub** implementation for real-time communication
- ✅ **Storage interfaces** to connect your own database — delivered upon purchase
- ✅ **Scalable architecture** for enterprise use
- ✅ **Bring your own database** (SQL Server, PostgreSQL, Cosmos DB, MongoDB, etc.)
- ✅ **Email/phone support**
- ✅ **Priority bug fixes and feature requests**
- ✅ **Commercial license** for proprietary server implementations

**BlazorChat.Server requires a commercial license. Contact licensing@loneworx.com for pricing and details.**

> **Note**: You can use the free BlazorChat component with your own custom `IChatService` implementation without purchasing BlazorChat.Server. The commercial license is only required if you use the BlazorChat.Server package.

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**Copyright (C) 2024-2026 LoneWorx LLC**

For more information, please visit:

-   **Project URL**: [https://www.loneworx.com/blazor-chat-demo](https://www.loneworx.com/blazor-chat-demo)
-   **Repository URL**: [https://github.com/simscon1/BlazorChat](https://github.com/simscon1/BlazorChat)

## Changelog

### v1.1.0
- **Fixed**: InMemory delete now broadcasts tombstone to all subscribers in real time.
- **Improved**: Messages are soft-deleted rather than hard-removed — a "This message was deleted" tombstone is shown to all participants.
- **New**: Undo delete — the message owner can restore a deleted message instantly via an inline undo button on the tombstone. The restoration is broadcast to all open windows.
- **Improved**: Delete is now instant with no confirmation dialog, matching Microsoft Teams behaviour. The undo button serves as the safety net.

### v1.0.2
- Updated documentation and licensing information.

### v1.0.1
- Initial public release.