Cloning a WhatsApp project can be a great way to quickly get started building your own messaging app. By cloning an existing open source WhatsApp project, you can save a lot of time and effort compared to building a chat app from scratch. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know to successfully clone and run your own WhatsApp project.
What is a WhatsApp Clone?
A WhatsApp clone is a messaging app built using the features and functionality of WhatsApp as a template. Cloning an app like WhatsApp allows developers to get a ready-made instant messaging platform with features like one-to-one chat, group chat, media sharing, push notifications, and more already implemented. This means developers don’t have to build these complex features from the ground up.
Some key things a WhatsApp clone replicates include:
- User account registration and management
- Contact list syncing
- Live chat functionality
- Group chat creation and management
- Media sharing capabilities
- Push notifications
- User settings and personalization
By cloning the core functionality and UI/UX of WhatsApp, developers can use it as a starting point to then customize and enhance their own messaging app.
Why Clone WhatsApp?
There are a few key reasons developers may want to clone WhatsApp rather than build a chat app from scratch:
- Save development time and resources – WhatsApp has highly complex features and infrastructure powering over 2 billion users. Cloning WhatsApp allows skipping over the most time-consuming parts of building a chat app.
- Leverage familiar user experience – WhatsApp has an intuitive, user-friendly interface. Cloning it allows for a familiar UX right from the start.
- Tap into user demand – Messaging apps have massive consumer demand. Cloning a leading platform like WhatsApp allows capitalizing on this built-in market.
- Faster time-to-market – Getting an app to market quickly is key. Cloning expedites the initial launch before iterating.
- Proof of concept – Cloning WhatsApp can serve as an MVP to validate the app idea before investing in full custom development.
In summary, cloning WhatsApp allows developers to skip past the most challenging parts of building a chat app, leverage an already popular UX, and validate the app much faster than building from scratch.
What You’ll Need
Here are the key requirements to successfully clone WhatsApp:
- WhatsApp clone source code – This open source codebase provides the core chat functionality and UI.
- Backend server – A server to handle message routing, push notifications, user management, etc.
- Database – For storing user accounts, messages, media, contacts, etc.
- Programming languages – Frontend (React Native), backend (Node, PHP), database (MongoDB).
- Cloud hosting – For hosting the app backend and database in the cloud.
- Local dev environment – For developing and testing the app before launch.
The WhatsApp clone code serves as the foundation. You’ll need to build out and integrate the backend, database, cloud hosting, and dev environment around it.
Where to Find WhatsApp Clone Source Code
There are a few popular open source WhatsApp clone codebases available to developers:
- WhatsApp Clone by Sonu Sharma – A React Native frontend + Node/Express backend codebase with chat, media sharing, contacts integration, and more.
- WhatsApp Clone React Native – Focused just on the React Native frontend code to quickly build a mobile messaging UI.
- PHP WhatsApp Clone – Uses PHP for a full backend/frontend clone with extensive features beyond just chat.
- WhatsApp Clone Parse Server – Leverages the Parse Server framework for easier backend management.
These are just a few examples. GitHub, BitBucket, and other code hosting sites have numerous open source WhatsApp clone projects to choose from.
When selecting a codebase, look for one that is recently updated, well-documented, and has the features most relevant to your app needs.
Key Steps for Cloning WhatsApp
Once you’ve selected a WhatsApp clone codebase, here is an overview of the main steps involved:
- Set up local dev environment – Install and configure the required programming languages and tools for your clone’s tech stack.
- Download source code – Get the latest version of the clone’s source code from the git repository.
- Install dependencies – Use a package manager like npm or composer to install the required libraries and dependencies.
- Configure code – Update any API keys, database creds, configs to match your environment.
- Run locally – Launch the code locally to test and debug the clone app.
- Set up backend – Stand up a cloud server for the backend and integrate with the frontend.
- Set up database – Install a production database and integrate it with the backend.
- Customize and extend – Add your own features, business logic, designs, etc. to make it your own.
- Deploy – Push your code to production hosting for public launch.
Let’s explore each step in more detail.
Set up Local Development Environment
First, you’ll need to install the core programming languages, frameworks, and tools required for your WhatsApp clone codebase:
- Git – For cloning the git repository and managing source code.
- Node.js – For running JavaScript tools, build processes, and often the backend server.
- React Native CLI – For running and testing the React Native mobile app.
- Android Studio / Xcode – For Android and iOS mobile development and emulators.
- IDE – Such as Visual Studio Code for writing and debugging code.
- ngrok – For testing push notifications and webhooks locally.
Having all these development tools installed and configured will ensure a solid foundation for working with the WhatsApp clone codebase.
Download Source Code
Now you’re ready to download the source code. Most WhatsApp clone codebases are hosted in a git repository such as GitHub or BitBucket. You’ll want to:
- Create an account on the git platform if you don’t already have one.
- Locate the WhatsApp clone git repo you want to use.
- Clone it down to your local machine using
git clone
For example:
git clone https://github.com/user123/whatsapp-clone.git
This will create a local copy of the entire code repository on your development machine.
Install Dependencies
Modern apps make use of all sorts of third party libraries and dependencies. These will be listed in a definition file such as package.json or composer.json.
You’ll want to run npm install or composer install to download all these dependencies into a folder like node_modules so they are available to the project locally.
Configure the Code
Before you can run the WhatsApp clone code, you’ll need to configure it to match your specific environment. This may involve steps like:
- Adding your database credentials
- Adding any third party API keys needed
- Updating environment configs for development vs production
- Setting config for push notification services
Consult the codebase documentation for details on what needs to be configured. Failing to properly configure before launch can lead to errors.
Run Locally
With dependencies installed and code configured, you should now be ready to launch the WhatsApp clone on your local development machine.
For a React Native codebase, you’ll typically:
npx react-native run-ios
npx react-native run-android
This will launch the app on iOS or Android simulators. For a backend server, you’ll run the start script, like:
npm run server
Test out all the WhatsApp features locally to ensure the basic clone is functioning. This is a great time to identify and fix bugs before deploying.
Set Up Backend Server
To take your WhatsApp clone to production, you’ll need to host the backend server and APIs in the cloud rather than locally. Popular options include:
- Heroku
- AWS EC2
- Google App Engine
- Azure App Service
Follow the hosting provider’s documentation to deploy the server codebase to the cloud. Be sure to configure environment variables and add security rules.
Set Up Database
The WhatsApp clone backend will need a persistent database for storing user data, messages, media files, and other content. Some top options are:
- MongoDB Atlas – Popular managed NoSQL cloud database
- Postgres – Relational open source database with cloud options
- MySQL – Another open source relational database
Follow the database provider’s docs to provision a production instance. Migrate your local dataset and integrate the live database with the backend code.
Customize and Extend
Once you have a working WhatsApp clone deployed, this is where the real work begins! You’ll want to extend the basic codebase with your own custom features and business logic, for example:
- Your own visual brand and design
- In-app purchase model and premium upgrades
- Advanced messaging features like bots and automation
- Push notification customization
- Integrate with 3rd party platforms like Stripe, Twilio, etc
- Target specific industries like healthcare, enterprise, etc
Take your standard WhatsApp clone and transform it into a uniquely differentiated messaging app.
Deploy to Production
With a robust cloud backend and full-featured custom app complete, the last step is deploying to production!
For a React Native mobile app, you’ll need to:
- Build release versions for Android and iOS
- Submit to Google Play Store and Apple App Store for review
- Release and activate your app for public download!
Monitoring logs, tracking adoption metrics, and rapidly iterating based on user feedback are all critical once your WhatsApp clone is live in the wild.
Conclusion
Cloning WhatsApp allows bypassing the hardest parts of building a messaging app and launching your own fully-featured chat platform far faster. The key steps are:
- Get WhatsApp clone source code
- Set up local dev environment
- Download code and install dependencies
- Configure codebase
- Run locally and debug
- Set up backend and database
- Customize, extend, and make it your own
- Deploy finished app to app stores
With the right technical skills and effective execution, you can have your own custom WhatsApp clone up and running in a matter of weeks rather than months. What are you waiting for? Get started on cloning WhatsApp today!