A “chat engine” is the underlying transport and storage configuration that powers conversations. ActiveManage supports its own native engine (database-backed messages, WebSocket delivery) and pluggable external engines for organisations that already invest in a chat provider.
Supported Engines
- Native: Messages stored in the application database, delivered over the in-built WebSocket server. Zero external dependencies and zero per-message cost.
- Twilio Conversations: Twilio holds the message store and delivery channel; ActiveManage stores only metadata and a thread ID. Useful if you already use Twilio for SMS and want one billing relationship.
- SendBird / Stream / Pusher: Hosted chat infrastructure with rich SDKs. Choose this when you need >10k concurrent active users or advanced features like translation and AI moderation.
Configuring an Engine
- Open Site Settings → Communication → Chat → Engines and click Add Engine.
- Pick the engine type, paste in the provider credentials, and tick “Make default” if this is your primary.
- Click Test connection. The platform creates a temporary thread, posts a system message, and tears it down.
- Save. Existing conversations on the old engine are unaffected; new ones start using the new engine.
Worked Examples
- Small business app: Stays on the Native engine. No external bills, full data sovereignty.
- Multi-tenant SaaS: Configures one engine per tenant by overriding at the tenant level — white-label customers can plug in their own Twilio account so messages route via their numbers.
- Enterprise rollout: Starts on Native, then migrates to SendBird once the user base exceeds 5,000 daily actives, using the chat export tool to backfill history into the new provider.