API to assist in developing mobile app

Hello guys

Back again with my inquiries,

I was waiting for long time to get any email, any update to surprise me with a mobile app release either for IOS or Android.
But it looks like I have to create the surprise as great things need a lot of work. I seen other competitors like easysocial guys made their mobile app release during I'm waiting for cb app, and jomsocial as well I guess but to be honest I'm a fan of "joomlapolis' community builder CB" so I'm thinking to create a mobile app using "react native" for the community, but I don't know where exactly should I start. I have a lot of questions in my mind such as but not limited to:

Firstly technical questions:
1- Is there any available API that cares about the backend matters and provide the requested data?
2- What's the technical aspects that I should care about when working on such app?
3- If currently still there is no API, is there any plan to write an API? when it's planned to be available?
4- Is it possible to share with me the architecture design so I can get familiar with the data flow faster?


Secondly Business Questions:
1- What license should my app be based on?
2- What business model should I implement?
3- Is it allowed for me to create an open source version to share with your community through your subscriptions system?
4- Any other information that I have to be aware of or I have to know before I go for any further step?


I'm really interested and before I have asked a lot of questions in another post but I realized that what I wanted before was more related to a mobile app not to just a website.

I hope guys we can have a productive discussion regarding that.

Best Regards

I'm aware EasySocial has a mobile app, but am not aware of Jomsocial having one.

I'd be interested in how successful EasySocials mobile app is doing. That's a MASSIVE amount of work that potentially could be better spent on further improving EasySocial. They have done it properly though by providing an app builder platform. Based entirely off the number of installs and the reviews on Apple/Google though it doesn't seem to have been worth the investment.

1- Is there any available API that cares about the backend matters and provide the requested data?

CB 3.x will be utilizing Joomla 4 web services endpoints. This will provide official, structured, JSON API endpoints to integrate with 3rd party services. Until then you need to make your own endpoints which is easily done using CB Auto Actions.

2- What's the technical aspects that I should care about when working on such app?

You need to be proficient in PHP and SQL.

3- If currently still there is no API, is there any plan to write an API? when it's planned to be available?

Yes, as explained in #1 there are plans for official API endpoints. I've no idea when it will be available. Hopefully this year, but I'm 1 person so there's only so much I can do.

4- Is it possible to share with me the architecture design so I can get familiar with the data flow faster?

CB is open source simply review your database structure. You'll need to convert that to JSON data or even consider adding a GraphQL implementation. For JSON it's easy enough to have the endpoints using CB Auto Actions.

1- What license should my app be based on?

I've no idea. It's your app so whatever you want.

2- What business model should I implement?

Again, I've no idea as it's your app and business.

3- Is it allowed for me to create an open source version to share with your community through your subscriptions system?

You can share your mobile app however you like. No, we won't be selling it through our subscription, but you could sell it yourself if you wanted.

4- Any other information that I have to be aware of or I have to know before I go for any further step?

Suggest learning React Native before even attempting this.


We might consider creating a mobile app at some point once all our products are using CB 3.x new API library CB Framework and we've the necessary web services endpoints, but it's not really a priority. CB is entirely mobile ready as is so can just be used through users browsers instead of a native app.

There's not really any advantage to us making a generic mobile app. Every site will want a personalized app. So we'd have to make an app builder, like EasySocial has done, more than anything for you to launch your own app. That's a ton of work I don't have time for and we'd likely charge a significant amount of money (in the thousands..) for it as well because it's a ton of work and time.

To be frank after seeing EasySocial mobile app statistics it wouldn't be worth it for us to do this. We'd be better off providing the necessary endpoints and you hiring a developer to make a personalized app for you utilizing those endpoints. That developer wouldn't need to know how CB works at all as they'd just be working with those endpoints.