XDchat

Native macOS chat application built with SwiftUI and Firebase.

Features

• Real-time messaging with text, GIFs, stickers, and emoji
• User authentication with invitation system
• Dark/Light mode with Messenger-inspired design
• Admin controls for user management
• Typing indicators and online status
• Auto-updates via Sparkle

Screenshot

Requirements

• macOS 15.0+ (Sequoia)
• Xcode 16.0+
• Swift 5.9+
• Firebase account
• Giphy API key

Getting Started

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/dembsky/XDchat.git
cd XDchat

2. Configure API Keys

Copy the example config and fill in your values:

cp Config.xcconfig.example Config.xcconfig

Edit Config.xcconfig and set your Giphy API key:

GIPHY_API_KEY = your_giphy_api_key_here

Get a free API key at developers.giphy.com.

3. Configure Firebase

1. Go to Firebase Console
2. Create a new project
3. Add a macOS app with your bundle identifier
4. Download GoogleService-Info.plist
5. Place it in XDchat/Resources/

Enable Firebase Services

In Firebase Console:

Authentication:

• Go to Authentication > Sign-in method
• Enable Email/Password

Firestore Database:

• Go to Firestore Database > Create Database
• Start in production mode

Firestore Security Rules:

Deploy the included rules:

npm install -g firebase-tools
firebase login
firebase init firestore  # select your project
firebase deploy --only firestore:rules

Or copy the rules from firestore.rules into the Firebase Console manually.

4. Open in Xcode

open XDchat.xcodeproj

Xcode will automatically resolve Swift Package dependencies (Firebase, SDWebImageSwiftUI, Sparkle).

5. Build and Run

1. Select your Mac as the run destination
2. Press Cmd+R

First Run

1. First user = Admin: The first user to register becomes the admin
2. Register without an invitation code (only for the first user)
3. As admin, you can generate invitation codes for other users

Project Structure

XDchat/
├── XDchatApp.swift           # App entry point
├── Models/                    # Data models
│   ├── User.swift
│   ├── Message.swift
│   ├── Conversation.swift
│   └── Invitation.swift
├── Views/                     # SwiftUI views
│   ├── MainView.swift
│   ├── Auth/
│   ├── Conversations/
│   ├── Chat/
│   └── Admin/
├── ViewModels/               # View models (MVVM)
│   ├── AuthViewModel.swift
│   ├── ConversationsViewModel.swift
│   ├── ChatViewModel.swift
│   └── InvitationViewModel.swift
├── Services/                 # Backend services
│   ├── AuthService.swift
│   ├── FirestoreService.swift
│   ├── GiphyService.swift
│   └── InvitationService.swift
├── Utilities/                # Helpers
│   ├── Theme.swift
│   ├── Extensions.swift
│   └── Constants.swift
└── Resources/
    ├── Assets.xcassets/
    ├── Info.plist
    └── Entitlements.entitlements

Architecture

• MVVM Pattern - ViewModels manage state and business logic
• Services Layer - Singleton services handle Firebase and API communication
• Real-time Updates - Firestore listeners for live data sync
• Theme System - Adaptive colors for Dark/Light mode

Distribution & Auto-Updates

XDchat uses Sparkle for auto-updates outside the App Store.

If you fork this project for your own distribution:

1. Generate your own Sparkle EdDSA key pair:

   ./build/SourcePackages/artifacts/sparkle/Sparkle/bin/generate_keys

2. Update SUPublicEDKey in Info.plist with your public key
3. Update SUFeedURL in Info.plist to point to your own appcast
4. Update PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER to your own bundle ID
5. Sign with your own Developer ID for notarized distribution

Build for Distribution

To build a signed and notarized release:

export TEAM_ID="your_team_id"
export DEVELOPER_ID="Developer ID Application: Your Name (TEAM_ID)"
export APPLE_ID="your_apple_id@example.com"
export APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD="your_app_specific_password"

./scripts/build-release.sh

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

Troubleshooting

Firebase not configured

Make sure GoogleService-Info.plist is in XDchat/Resources/ and contains valid credentials.

GIFs not loading

Check that your Giphy API key is set in Config.xcconfig.

Authentication errors

Verify that Email/Password authentication is enabled in Firebase Console.

Build errors with dependencies

Try: File > Packages > Reset Package Caches in Xcode.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see LICENSE for details.