Query Communities

Query and search communities by membership status, category, and sort order using getCommunities(). Returns a Live Collection.

Call getCommunities() to browse or search communities. Filter by membership status (all, member, or not-member), category ID, and keyword. Sort results by display name or creation date. Results are returned as a Live Collection that updates automatically.

Browse All Communities

Query communities with filtering and sorting options

Search Communities

Find specific communities using keyword-based search

Membership Filtering

Filter by user membership status and community access

Category Organization

Organize discovery by community categories and topics

Filter Options

Membership Status Filtering

Control community discovery based on the current user’s membership status:

Filter Option	Description	Use Case
ALL	Shows all available communities	General browsing and discovery
MEMBER	Shows only communities the user has joined	Managing user’s communities
NOT_MEMBER	Shows communities the user hasn’t joined	Finding new communities to join

Sorting Options

Organize community results to match your app’s discovery flow:

Sort Option	Description	Best For
DISPLAY_NAME	Alphabetical order by community name	Directory-style browsing
LAST_CREATED	Newest communities first	Discovering fresh content
FIRST_CREATED	Oldest communities first	Established community discovery

Category Filtering

Communities can be organized by categories to help users find relevant content faster. When a categoryId is specified, results are filtered to only include communities belonging to that category.

Tag Filtering

Communities can be tagged to describe their topics or purpose (e.g., "gaming", "tech", "support"). Pass a tags array to return only communities that have all of the specified tags.

Behavior	Detail
Match type	AND — community must have every specified tag
Max tags	Up to 5 tags per query
Case sensitivity	Tags are case-sensitive

Combine tag filtering with category and membership filters for precise discovery experiences — for example, find "gaming" communities the user has not yet joined.

Query Communities

The getCommunities() method enables users to discover and explore communities with flexible filtering and sorting options. Perfect for building community browsing experiences, onboarding flows, and helping users find relevant communities within your app.

Query results are returned as Live Collections that automatically update when communities are added, modified, or removed, ensuring your app stays current with community changes.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
filter	Enum	Filter by membership status: .all, .member, .notMember (default: .all)
sortBy	Enum	Sort order: .displayName, .lastCreated, .firstCreated (default: .lastCreated)
categoryId	String	Filter communities by specific category ID
tags	Array	Filter communities by tags. Only communities containing all specified tags are returned. Maximum 5 tags.
includeDeleted	Boolean	Include deleted communities in results (default: false)

The displayName filter parameter is deprecated. Use the search functionality with keywords for name-based filtering instead.

iOS

var token: AmityNotificationToken?

func queryCommunitiesExample() {
    let queryOptions = AmityCommunityQueryOptions(
        filter: .all, 
        sortBy: .lastCreated, 
        categoryId: nil,
        tags: nil,          // optional: e.g. ["gaming", "tech"]
        includeDeleted: false
    )
    
    let liveCollection = communityRepository.getCommunities(with: queryOptions)
    token = liveCollection.observe { collection, change, error in
        if let error = error {
            print("Error querying communities: \(error)")
            return
        }
        
        for community in collection.allObjects() {
            // Handle each community in the results
            print("Community: \(community.displayName)")
        }
    }
}

// Query communities filtered by tags
func queryCommunitiesByTags() {
    let queryOptions = AmityCommunityQueryOptions(
        filter: .notMember,
        sortBy: .lastCreated,
        categoryId: nil,
        tags: ["gaming", "tech"],
        includeDeleted: false
    )
    
    let liveCollection = communityRepository.getCommunities(with: queryOptions)
    token = liveCollection.observe { collection, _, error in
        for community in collection.allObjects() {
            print("Tagged community: \(community.displayName)")
        }
    }
}

Search Communities

The searchCommunities() method provides keyword-based community search with the same filtering and sorting capabilities as general queries. Ideal for implementing search bars and helping users find specific communities by name or related terms.

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Description
keyword	String	Search term to match against community display names
filter	Enum	Filter by membership status: .all, .member, .notMember (default: .all)
sortBy	Enum	Sort order: .displayName, .lastCreated, .firstCreated (default: .lastCreated)
categoryId	String	Filter search results by specific category ID
includeDeleted	Boolean	Include deleted communities in search results (default: false)

If no keyword is provided, the search will return all communities sorted by the specified criteria, similar to the general query functionality.

iOS

var searchCommunitiesToken: AmityNotificationToken?

func searchCommunitiesExample() {
    let searchOptions = AmityCommunitySearchOptions(keyword: "search-keyword", filter: .all, sortBy: .lastCreated, categoryId: nil, includeDeleted: false)
    let liveCollection = communityRepository.searchCommunities(with: searchOptions)
    searchCommunitiesToken = liveCollection.observe { collection, change, error in
        for community in collection.allObjects() {
            // For example, to handle each community in the list.
        }
    }
}

Related Topics

Get Community Details

Retrieve detailed information about specific communities

Trending Communities

Discover popular and recommended communities

Community Categories

Learn about organizing communities with categories

Join Communities

Help users join discovered communities