iKode Live Chat Review: Features, Pricing, and Setup

To install and optimize iKode Live Chat (historically distributed as part of the iKode Helpdesk X / Service Desk suite), you need to host the software on your server, embed the client-side widget into your website, and fine-tune its performance settings. Phase 1: Installation Guide

iKode Live Chat is a self-hosted PHP and MySQL-based application. 1. Server Prerequisites

Ensure your hosting environment meets the baseline requirements: PHP version 7.4 or higher MySQL version 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+ Web Server: Apache (with mod_rewrite enabled) or Nginx Extensions: PDO MySQL, cURL, OpenSSL, and GD Library 2. Core Software Installation

Download the Package: Acquire the installation archive from the iKode Download Portal or your licensed account dashboard.

Upload Files: Unzip the archive and upload the files to your web server using an FTP/SFTP client or your hosting file manager. Place them in your root directory (e.g., public_html/) or a subdirectory (e.g., public_html/chat/).

Create a Database: Log into your web hosting control panel (e.g., cPanel), navigate to MySQL Databases, create a new database, create a user, and assign the user to that database with “All Privileges”.

Run the Web Installer: Open your browser and navigate to your domain where the files were uploaded (e.g., ://yourwebsite.com). Follow the on-screen prompts: Accept the license agreement.

Input your MySQL database credentials (host, database name, username, password). Create your administrator account credentials.

Clean Up: For security, delete the /install directory from your server via FTP once the setup finishes. 3. Embedding the Live Chat Widget

To make the chat visible to your visitors, you must inject its JavaScript snippet into your website: Log into your iKode admin panel.

Navigate to Settings > Chat Widget and copy the generated HTML script snippet.

Paste this snippet into your website’s code right before the closing tag of your template.

For WordPress users: You can paste this code using a header/footer injection plugin. Phase 2: Optimization Strategies

An unoptimized live chat widget can delay your website’s initial rendering or put a heavy load on your server database due to constant polling. 1. Defer the Script Loading

By default, scripts can block a browser from loading a page quickly. Prevent this by applying async or defer attributes to the iKode script tag, or configure it to initialize only after the core page resources load.

Use code with caution. 2. Optimize Server Polling and Heartbeats

Because iKode utilizes the server’s database to track active chats, multiple concurrent visitors can generate a “request storm” of database queries.

Adjust Polling Intervals: In the iKode admin backend, navigate to Performance / Chat Settings. Increase the visitor polling interval (the rate at which the browser checks for new messages) from 1–2 seconds to 3–5 seconds. This drastically reduces server CPU load.

Session Cleanup: Enable automatic archiving or purging of idle visitor sessions (e.g., terminating chats after 15 minutes of inactivity) to keep the active database tables lean. 3. Server-Side Caching & Database Indexing

Database Maintenance: Periodically optimize your iKode MySQL tables using phpMyAdmin to clear overhead. Ensure indexes are correctly applied to the chat_messages and active_sessions tables.

Opcode Caching: Enable PHP OPcache on your hosting server. This stores precompiled script bytecode in the server’s memory, bypassing the need for PHP to load and parse iKode scripts on every individual chat request. 4. Turn On Pre-Chat Forms

Optimize your actual support workflow and server resources by filtering out casual traffic:

Enable a Pre-Chat Form to collect the user’s name, email, and department inquiry before the session initializes.

This stops spam bots from triggering chat scripts and spawning empty sessions on your server. How to Set Up AI Live Chat on Your Website – Chaterimo