--- source_url: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/learn/chat-entities/chat title: Chat object updated_at: 2026-06-23T11:42:06.311Z --- > Documentation Index > For a curated overview of PubNub documentation, see: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/llms.txt > For the full list of all documentation pages, see: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/llms-full.txt # Chat object The `Chat` object is your entry point to the Chat SDK after [initialization](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/configuration). Use the `Chat` object to create and manage channels, users, messages, memberships, and other entities. Key capabilities: * Create and delete channels and users * Track user presence across channels * Send custom events * Access the underlying Kotlin SDK ## Properties The `Chat` interface has the following properties: ```kotlin interface Chat { val config: ChatConfiguration val pubNub: PubNub val currentUser: User val syncMutedUsers: Boolean val mutedUsersManager: MutedUsersManager ... } ``` | Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | config | ChatConfiguration | Optional | | `ChatConfiguration` contains chat app configuration settings, such as `logLevel` or `typingTimeout` that you can provide when initializing your chat app with the [init()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/configuration#initialize-pubnub) method. You can later directly access these properties, like: `chat.storeUserActivityInterval`. | | pubNub | PubNub | Optional | | `pubNub` lets you access any [Kotlin SDK](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/sdks/kotlin) method. For example, if you want to call a method available in the App Context API, you'd use [chat.pubNub.getAllUUIDMetadata()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/sdks/kotlin/api-reference/objects#user). | | currentUser | User | Optional | | User object representing current user. | | syncMutedUsers | Boolean | Optional | | Whether the mute list is synchronized across sessions and devices. Corresponds to the [syncMutedUsers](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/configuration#sync-muted-users) configuration parameter. | | mutedUsersManager | MutedUsersManager | Optional | | Manager object for muting and unmuting users on the client side. See [Moderate misbehaving users](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/moderation-user) for details. | `ChatConfiguration` includes these properties: ```kotlin interface ChatConfiguration { val logLevel: LogLevel val typingTimeout: Duration val storeUserActivityInterval: Duration val storeUserActivityTimestamps: Boolean val pushNotifications: PushNotificationsConfig val rateLimitFactor: Int val rateLimitPerChannel: Map val customPayloads: CustomPayloads? val emitReadReceiptEvents: Map val syncMutedUsers: Boolean } ``` `PushNotificationsConfig` includes these properties: ```kotlin class PushNotificationsConfig( val sendPushes: Boolean, val deviceToken: String?, val deviceGateway: PNPushType, val apnsTopic: String?, val apnsEnvironment: PNPushEnvironment ) ``` Initialize the Chat SDK with two required parameters: `subscribeKey` and `userId`. All other settings are optional. See [Configuration](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/configuration) for details. ## Methods The `Chat` object exposes the following methods. ### Regular methods * [createUser()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/create) * [createDirectConversation()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/create#create-direct-channel) * [createGroupConversation()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/create#create-group-channel) * [createPublicConversation()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/create#create-public-channel) * [currentUser](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/details#get-current-user) * [deleteChannel()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/delete) * [deleteUser()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/delete) * [destroy()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/configuration#destroy-chat-instance) * [fetchUnreadMessagesCounts()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/messages/unread#get-unread-messages-count-all-channels) * [getChannel()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/details) * [getChannelGroup()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/channel-groups#get-channel-group-reference) * [getChannels()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/list) * [getCurrentUserMentions()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/mentions#collect-all-user-related-mentions) * [getEventsHistory()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/custom-events#get-historical-events) * [getPushChannels()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/push-notifications#list-all-push-channels) * [getUser()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/details#get-user-details) * [getUsers()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/list) * [init()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/configuration#initialize-pubnub) * [isPresent()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/presence#check-users-channel-presence) * [markAllMessagesAsRead](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/messages/unread#mark-messages-as-read-all-channels) * [registerPushChannels()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/push-notifications#register-selected-push-channels) * [removeChannelGroup()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/channel-groups#remove-channel-group) * [setRestrictions()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/moderation#mute-or-ban-users-as-an-administrator) * [unregisterPushChannels()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/push-notifications#unregister-selected-push-channels) * [unregisterAllPushChannels()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/push-notifications#unregister-all-push-channels) * [updateChannel()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/updates#update-channel-details) * [updateUser()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/updates#update-user-details) * [wherePresent()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/presence#return-channels-where-user-is-present) * [whoIsPresent()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/presence#return-all-users-present-on-channel) * emitEvent() (deprecated — use [Channel.emitCustomEvent()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/custom-events#create-and-send-events) instead) ### Event listeners * [addConnectionStatusListener()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/connection-management) * [disconnectSubscriptions()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/connection-management) * [reconnectSubscriptions()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/connection-management) * listenForEvents() (deprecated — use entity-level methods like [Channel.onCustomEvent()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/custom-events#receive-current-events), [User.onMentioned()](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/mentions#show-notifications-for-mentions), etc.) ## Use case For example, you can use the `Chat` object methods to: * Create a [channel](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/create) or [user](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/create). * Get [channel](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/channels/details) or [user](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/chat/kotlin-chat-sdk/build/features/users/details#get-user-details) data.