Standalone Calling

Implement video and audio calling using only the CometChat Calls SDK without the Chat SDK. Covers authentication, token generation, session management, and call controls.

AI Integration Quick Reference

let sessionId = "SESSION_ID";
let userAuthToken = "USER_AUTH_TOKEN";
let htmlElement = document.getElementById("call-screen");
let callListener = {
  onCallEnded: () => console.log("Call ended"),
  onUserJoined: (user) => console.log("User joined:", user),
  onUserLeft: (user) => console.log("User left:", user),
};

// Generate call token (requires user auth token from REST API)
const callToken = await CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, userAuthToken);

// Start call session
const callSettings = new CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder()
  .enableDefaultLayout(true)
  .setIsAudioOnlyCall(false)
  .setCallListener(callListener)
  .build();
CometChatCalls.startSession(callToken.token, callSettings, htmlElement);

// End session
CometChatCalls.endSession();

Standalone Calling lets you add voice and video calls using only the CometChat Calls SDK — no Chat SDK required. This is ideal when you already have your own messaging system and just need calling, or when you want the smallest possible SDK footprint.

The key difference from the regular Call Session flow is authentication: instead of using CometChat.getLoggedinUser(), you obtain auth tokens directly from the CometChat REST API.

Before you begin, ensure you have completed the Calls SDK setup.

User Authentication

To start a call session, you need a user auth token. Since this implementation doesn’t use the Chat SDK, you’ll need to obtain the auth token via the CometChat REST API.

To understand user authentication in CometChat, see the User Auth documentation.

You can obtain the auth token using one of these REST API endpoints:

• Create Auth Token — Creates a new auth token for a user
• Get Auth Token — Retrieves an existing auth token

For testing or POC purposes, you can create an auth token directly from the CometChat Dashboard. Navigate to Users & Groups → Users, select a user, and click + Create Auth Token.

Store the auth token securely in your application for use when generating call tokens.

Generate Call Token

A call token is required for secure access to a call session. Each token is unique to a specific session and user combination, ensuring that only authorized users can join the call.

You can generate the token just before starting the call, or generate and store it ahead of time based on your use case.

Use the generateToken() method to create a call token:

TypeScript

const sessionId: string = "UNIQUE_SESSION_ID"; // Generate a unique session ID
const userAuthToken: string = "USER_AUTH_TOKEN"; // Obtained from REST API

CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, userAuthToken).then(
  (callToken: any) => {
    console.log("Call token generated:", callToken.token);
    // Use callToken to start the session
  },
  (error: any) => {
    console.log("Token generation failed:", error);
  }
);

JavaScript

const sessionId = "UNIQUE_SESSION_ID"; // Generate a unique session ID
const userAuthToken = "USER_AUTH_TOKEN"; // Obtained from REST API

CometChatCalls.generateToken(sessionId, userAuthToken).then(
  (callToken) => {
    console.log("Call token generated:", callToken.token);
    // Use callToken to start the session
  },
  (error) => {
    console.log("Token generation failed:", error);
  }
);

Parameter	Description
sessionId	A unique session ID for the call. Generate this yourself or use a shared ID for participants to join the same call.
userAuthToken	The user auth token obtained from the CometChat REST API.

The Promise resolves with an object containing a token property (string) that you pass to startSession().

Start Call Session

Use the startSession() method to join a call session. This method requires:

1. A call token (generated in the previous step)
2. A CallSettings object that configures the call UI and behavior
3. An HTML element where the call UI will be rendered

TypeScript

const callListener = new CometChatCalls.OngoingCallListener({
  onUserJoined: (user: any) => {
    console.log("User joined:", user);
  },
  onUserLeft: (user: any) => {
    console.log("User left:", user);
  },
  onUserListUpdated: (userList: any[]) => {
    console.log("User list updated:", userList);
  },
  onCallEnded: () => {
    console.log("Call ended");
    CometChatCalls.endSession();
    // Close calling screen
  },
  onCallEndButtonPressed: () => {
    console.log("End call button pressed");
    CometChatCalls.endSession();
    // Close calling screen
  },
  onError: (error: any) => {
    console.log("Call error:", error);
  },
  onMediaDeviceListUpdated: (deviceList: any[]) => {
    console.log("Device list updated:", deviceList);
  },
  onUserMuted: (event: any) => {
    console.log("User muted:", event);
  },
  onScreenShareStarted: () => {
    console.log("Screen sharing started");
  },
  onScreenShareStopped: () => {
    console.log("Screen sharing stopped");
  },
  onCallSwitchedToVideo: (event: any) => {
    console.log("Call switched to video:", event);
  },
  onSessionTimeout: () => {
    console.log("Session timed out");
  }
});

const callSettings = new CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder()
  .enableDefaultLayout(true)
  .setIsAudioOnlyCall(false)
  .setCallListener(callListener)
  .build();

const htmlElement = document.getElementById("call-container") as HTMLElement;
CometChatCalls.startSession(callToken, callSettings, htmlElement);

JavaScript

const callListener = new CometChatCalls.OngoingCallListener({
 onUserJoined: (user) => {
 console.log("User joined:", user);
 },
 onUserLeft: (user) => {
 console.log("User left:", user);
 },
 onUserListUpdated: (userList) => {
 console.log("User list updated:", userList);
 },
 onCallEnded: () => {
 console.log("Call ended");
 CometChatCalls.endSession();
 // Close calling screen
 },
 onCallEndButtonPressed: () => {
 console.log("End call button pressed");
 CometChatCalls.endSession();
 // Close calling screen
 },
 onError: (error) => {
 console.log("Call error:", error);
 },
 onMediaDeviceListUpdated: (deviceList) => {
 console.log("Device list updated:", deviceList);
 },
 onUserMuted: (event) => {
 console.log("User muted:", event);
 },
 onScreenShareStarted: () => {
 console.log("Screen sharing started");
 },
 onScreenShareStopped: () => {
 console.log("Screen sharing stopped");
 },
 onCallSwitchedToVideo: (event) => {
 console.log("Call switched to video:", event);
 },
 onSessionTimeout: () => {
 console.log("Session timed out");
 }
});

const callSettings = new CometChatCalls.CallSettingsBuilder()
 .enableDefaultLayout(true)
 .setIsAudioOnlyCall(false)
 .setCallListener(callListener)
 .build();

const htmlElement = document.getElementById("call-container") as HTMLElement;
CometChatCalls.startSession(callToken, callSettings, htmlElement);

Parameter	Description
callToken	The token received from generateToken() onSuccess
callSettings	Object of CallSettings class configured via CallSettingsBuilder
htmlElement	DOM element where the call UI will be rendered

startSession() renders the call UI inside the provided HTML element and joins the user into the active call session.

Call Settings

Configure the call experience using the following CallSettingsBuilder methods:

Method	Description
enableDefaultLayout(boolean)	Enables or disables the default call UI layout with built-in controls. true shows the default layout. false hides the button layout. Default: true
setIsAudioOnlyCall(boolean)	Sets whether the call is audio-only or audio-video. true for audio-only, false for audio-video. Default: false
setCallListener(OngoingCallListener)	Sets the listener to receive call events. See Call Listeners.
setMode(string)	Sets the call UI layout mode. Available: CometChat.CALL_MODE.DEFAULT, CometChat.CALL_MODE.SPOTLIGHT. Default: DEFAULT
startWithAudioMuted(boolean)	Starts the call with the microphone muted. Default: false
startWithVideoMuted(boolean)	Starts the call with the camera turned off. Default: false
showEndCallButton(boolean)	Shows or hides the end call button in the default layout. Default: true
showMuteAudioButton(boolean)	Shows or hides the mute audio button. Default: true
showPauseVideoButton(boolean)	Shows or hides the pause video button. Default: true
showScreenShareButton(boolean)	Shows or hides the screen share button. Default: true
showModeButton(boolean)	Shows or hides the mode toggle button (switch between DEFAULT and SPOTLIGHT). Default: true
showSwitchToVideoCallButton(boolean)	Shows or hides the button to upgrade an audio call to video. Default: true
setMainVideoContainerSetting(MainVideoContainerSetting)	Customizes the main video container. See Video View Customization.
setIdleTimeoutPeriod(number)	Sets idle timeout in seconds. Warning appears 60 seconds before auto-termination. Default: 180 seconds. v4.1.0+

End Call Session

To end the call session and release all media resources (camera, microphone, network connections), call CometChatCalls.endSession() in the onCallEndButtonPressed() callback.

TypeScript

onCallEndButtonPressed: () => {
  CometChatCalls.endSession();
  // Close the calling screen
}

JavaScript

onCallEndButtonPressed: () => {
  CometChatCalls.endSession();
  // Close the calling screen
}

Call Listeners

The OngoingCallListener provides real-time callbacks for call session events, including participant changes, call state updates, and error conditions.

You can register listeners in two ways:

1. Via CallSettingsBuilder: Use .setCallListener(listener) when building call settings
2. Via addCallEventListener: Use CometChatCalls.addCallEventListener(listenerId, listener) to add multiple listeners

Each listener requires a unique listenerId string. This ID is used to:

• Prevent duplicate registrations — Re-registering with the same ID replaces the existing listener
• Enable targeted removal — Remove specific listeners without affecting others

Always remove listeners when they’re no longer needed (e.g., on component unmount or page navigation). Failing to remove listeners can cause memory leaks and duplicate event handling.

TypeScript

const listenerId: string = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";

CometChatCalls.addCallEventListener(listenerId, {
  onUserJoined: (user: any) => {
    console.log("User joined:", user);
  },
  onUserLeft: (user: any) => {
    console.log("User left:", user);
  },
  onUserListUpdated: (userList: any[]) => {
    console.log("User list updated:", userList);
  },
  onCallEnded: () => {
    console.log("Call ended");
    CometChatCalls.endSession();
    // Close calling screen
  },
  onCallEndButtonPressed: () => {
    console.log("End call button pressed");
    CometChatCalls.endSession();
    // Close calling screen
  },
  onError: (error: any) => {
    console.log("Call error:", error);
  },
  onMediaDeviceListUpdated: (deviceList: any[]) => {
    console.log("Device list updated:", deviceList);
  },
  onUserMuted: (event: any) => {
    console.log("User muted:", event);
  },
  onScreenShareStarted: () => {
    console.log("Screen sharing started");
  },
  onScreenShareStopped: () => {
    console.log("Screen sharing stopped");
  },
  onCallSwitchedToVideo: (event: any) => {
    console.log("Call switched to video:", event);
  },
  onSessionTimeout: () => {
    console.log("Session timed out");
  }
});

// Remove listener when done
CometChatCalls.removeCallEventListener(listenerId);

JavaScript

const listenerId = "UNIQUE_LISTENER_ID";

CometChatCalls.addCallEventListener(listenerId, {
  onUserJoined: (user) => {
    console.log("User joined:", user);
  },
  onUserLeft: (user) => {
    console.log("User left:", user);
  },
  onUserListUpdated: (userList) => {
    console.log("User list updated:", userList);
  },
  onCallEnded: () => {
    console.log("Call ended");
    CometChatCalls.endSession();
    // Close calling screen
  },
  onCallEndButtonPressed: () => {
    console.log("End call button pressed");
    CometChatCalls.endSession();
    // Close calling screen
  },
  onError: (error) => {
    console.log("Call error:", error);
  },
  onMediaDeviceListUpdated: (deviceList) => {
    console.log("Device list updated:", deviceList);
  },
  onUserMuted: (event) => {
    console.log("User muted:", event);
  },
  onScreenShareStarted: () => {
    console.log("Screen sharing started");
  },
  onScreenShareStopped: () => {
    console.log("Screen sharing stopped");
  },
  onCallSwitchedToVideo: (event) => {
    console.log("Call switched to video:", event);
  },
  onSessionTimeout: () => {
    console.log("Session timed out");
  }
});

// Remove listener when done
CometChatCalls.removeCallEventListener(listenerId);

Events

For the full list of callbacks, their descriptions, and parameter shapes, see the OngoingCallListener reference.

In-Call Methods

These methods are available for performing custom actions during an active call session. Use them to build custom UI controls or implement specific behaviors based on your use case.

These methods can only be called when a call session is active.

Switch Camera

Toggles between the front and rear camera during a video call. Only supported on mobile browsers.

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.switchCamera();

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.switchCamera();

This method is only supported on mobile browsers. It has no effect on desktop browsers. Available since v4.2.0

Mute Audio

Controls the local audio stream transmission. When muted, other participants cannot hear the local user.

• true — Mutes the microphone, stops transmitting audio
• false — Unmutes the microphone, resumes audio transmission

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.muteAudio(true);

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.muteAudio(true);

Pause Video

Controls the local video stream transmission. When paused, other participants see a frozen frame or placeholder instead of live video.

• true — Pauses the camera, stops transmitting video
• false — Resumes the camera, continues video transmission

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(true);

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.pauseVideo(true);

Start Screen Share

Starts sharing your screen or a specific application window with other participants.

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.startScreenShare();

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.startScreenShare();

Stop Screen Share

Stops the current screen sharing session.

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.stopScreenShare();

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.stopScreenShare();

Set Mode

Changes the call UI layout mode dynamically during the call.

Available modes:

• CometChat.CALL_MODE.DEFAULT — Grid layout showing all participants
• CometChat.CALL_MODE.SPOTLIGHT — Focus on the active speaker

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.setMode(CometChat.CALL_MODE.SPOTLIGHT);

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.setMode(CometChat.CALL_MODE.SPOTLIGHT);

Get Audio Input Devices

Returns a list of available audio input devices (microphones). Each item is a MediaDeviceInfo object with deviceId, label, and kind properties.

TypeScript

const audioInputDevices = CometChatCalls.getAudioInputDevices();
console.log("Available microphones:", audioInputDevices);

JavaScript

const audioInputDevices = CometChatCalls.getAudioInputDevices();
console.log("Available microphones:", audioInputDevices);

Get Audio Output Devices

Returns a list of available audio output devices (speakers/headphones). Each item is a MediaDeviceInfo object.

TypeScript

const audioOutputDevices = CometChatCalls.getAudioOutputDevices();
console.log("Available speakers:", audioOutputDevices);

JavaScript

const audioOutputDevices = CometChatCalls.getAudioOutputDevices();
console.log("Available speakers:", audioOutputDevices);

Get Video Input Devices

Returns a list of available video input devices (cameras). Each item is a MediaDeviceInfo object.

TypeScript

const videoInputDevices = CometChatCalls.getVideoInputDevices();
console.log("Available cameras:", videoInputDevices);

JavaScript

const videoInputDevices = CometChatCalls.getVideoInputDevices();
console.log("Available cameras:", videoInputDevices);

Set Audio Input Device

Sets the active audio input device (microphone) by device ID.

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.setAudioInputDevice(deviceId);

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.setAudioInputDevice(deviceId);

Set Audio Output Device

Sets the active audio output device (speaker/headphones) by device ID.

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.setAudioOutputDevice(deviceId);

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.setAudioOutputDevice(deviceId);

Set Video Input Device

Sets the active video input device (camera) by device ID.

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.setVideoInputDevice(deviceId);

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.setVideoInputDevice(deviceId);

Switch To Video Call

Upgrades an ongoing audio call to a video call. This enables the camera and starts transmitting video to other participants. The remote participant receives the onCallSwitchedToVideo() callback.

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.switchToVideoCall();

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.switchToVideoCall();

End Call

Terminates the current call session and releases all media resources (camera, microphone, network connections). After calling this method, the call view should be closed.

TypeScript

CometChatCalls.endSession();

JavaScript

CometChatCalls.endSession();

---

Next Steps

Default Calling

Implement ringing call flows using the Chat SDK

Recording

Add call recording to your voice and video calls