# Installation

We recommended using the component library through a package manager. Stream Chat React is based on top of Stream's [JavaScript Client](/chat/docs/javascript/).

### Install with NPM

```bash
npm install stream-chat stream-chat-react
```

### Install with Yarn

```bash
yarn add stream-chat stream-chat-react
```

### Install via CDN

In case you are not using a package manager, or you wish to build a simple proof of concept in CodePen for example, you can load the library through a direct script link.
If you choose to do this, make sure you explicitly specify the version of the library to prevent breaking releases from affecting your app.

```html
<!-- Replace VERSION with the version of stream-chat and stream-chat-react -->
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/stream-chat@VERSION"></script>
<script src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/stream-chat-react@VERSION"></script>
```

With the installation out of the way, let's get started exploring the basics of the library.


---

This page was last updated at 2026-05-13T13:38:52.565Z.

For the most recent version of this documentation, visit [https://getstream.io/chat/docs/sdk/react/v12/basics/installation/](https://getstream.io/chat/docs/sdk/react/v12/basics/installation/).