# Overview

Stream Chat React is a component library built on the Stream Chat API. It provides a set of performant, customizable React components for common chat experiences such as team and social messaging, virtual events, livestreaming, and customer support.

Key features include:

- Rich media messages
- Reactions
- Threads and quoted replies
- Text input commands (ex: Giphy and @mentions)
- Image and file uploads
- Video playback
- Audio recording
- Read state and typing indicators
- Channel and message lists

## Best Practices

- Start with the official tutorial to align on recommended structure before customizing UI.
- Treat the component library as the default source of truth and only replace parts that need bespoke UX.
- Use built-in features (threads, reactions, uploads, indicators) before building custom equivalents.
- Keep customization scoped to theming and component overrides to stay compatible with updates.
- Validate your target browsers against the supported list to avoid unexpected UI issues.

## Where to Get Started

If you’re new, start with the [tutorial](https://getstream.io/chat/react-chat/tutorial/), then move on to the [getting started guide](/chat/docs/sdk/react/basics/getting_started/).

<admonition type="tip">

Most integrations only need our [Theming](/chat/docs/sdk/react/theming/themingv2/) and [Customizing Components](/chat/docs/sdk/react/guides/customization/) guides.

</admonition>

## Architecture

The SDK is built around React context providers and hooks. You can use the exported hooks (for example, `useChatContext` and `useChannelStateContext`) in your own components to read state and trigger actions while staying subscribed to updates.

<admonition type="note">

Use the left navigation to explore topics, and start with installation and basic setup.

</admonition>

## Supported Platforms

Our React Chat SDK can run on all modern browsers and platforms released after April 2024.
Here is the list of supported platforms:

- Chrome 124+
- Firefox 124+
- Edge 124+
- Safari and Mobile Safari 17.4+

<admonition type="note">

Although the SDK works on other exotic and older browser versions,
these are the ones we officially support and test against,
so we recommend using them for the best experience.

</admonition>


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This page was last updated at 2026-03-06T17:06:39.009Z.

For the most recent version of this documentation, visit [https://getstream.io/chat/docs/sdk/react/](https://getstream.io/chat/docs/sdk/react/).