Appearance
Connection Status
RustChat keeps you informed about your connection status to ensure you always know when your messages are being sent and received in real-time.
Connection States
🟢 Connected
When you see a green dot in the header, you're fully connected and all messages are being sent and received in real-time.
🟡 Reconnecting
If your connection is interrupted, you'll see a yellow banner at the top of the screen:
Reconnecting...
What this means:
- Your connection was temporarily lost (usually due to network changes or brief interruptions)
- RustChat is automatically trying to reconnect
- You can still read existing messages
What happens:
- The screen content is slightly dimmed (80% opacity)
- The message composer is disabled
- Reconnection happens automatically within a few seconds
No action needed - just wait a moment and you'll be reconnected automatically.
🟠 Connection Lost
If reconnection fails for more than 5 seconds, the banner turns orange:
Connection lost. Retrying in X seconds...
What this means:
- The automatic reconnection is taking longer than expected
- Your conversation may be out of date
- New messages from others won't appear until reconnected
What you can do:
- Wait for the automatic retry
- Click "Retry now" to force an immediate reconnection attempt
- Continue reading existing messages (content is dimmed to 60%)
🔌 Disconnected
If your connection can't be restored after 30 seconds, a full-screen modal appears:
Disconnected
You've been disconnected from the server. Your conversation may be out of date.
You have two options:
- Reconnect - Attempts to restore your connection and sync any missed messages
- Refresh page - Reloads the entire application (use this if reconnect doesn't work)
Why this happens:
- Your device went to sleep for an extended period
- Network connection was lost (WiFi turned off, switching networks)
- The server was restarted
- Browser tab was in the background for a long time
Common Questions
Will I lose my messages if I get disconnected?
No. Messages you sent before disconnection are already delivered. Messages others sent while you were disconnected will appear once you reconnect.
What happens to messages I type while disconnected?
The message composer is disabled during disconnection to prevent messages from failing to send. Once reconnected, you can type and send normally.
Why does the content get dimmed?
The dimming (80% → 60% → blur) is a visual cue that the content might be stale. Messages may have been edited or deleted while you were disconnected.
How do I know if I missed any messages?
When you reconnect:
- Missed messages will automatically appear in the conversation
- Unread message badges will update
- The connection indicator will turn green again
Can I prevent disconnections?
Most disconnections are caused by:
- Network changes (switching WiFi, moving between cell towers)
- Device sleep (laptop lid closed, phone screen off)
- Browser throttling (tab in background for extended time)
These are normal and RustChat handles them gracefully. Just keep an eye on the connection indicator!
Troubleshooting
Stuck on "Reconnecting..." for a long time
- Check your internet connection
- Try clicking "Retry now"
- If still stuck, click "Refresh page" in the disconnect modal
Keep getting disconnected frequently
- Check if your WiFi is stable
- Disable VPN temporarily to test
- Check if browser extensions are interfering
- Try a different browser
Reconnect doesn't work but refresh does
This usually means your authentication session expired. Refreshing the page re-authenticates you. This is normal after very long periods of inactivity.
Privacy Note
The connection status indicator only reflects your local network connection to the RustChat server. It doesn't track or report your online status to other users.