Social network development using 1C-Bitrix

Developing a Social Network on 1C-Bitrix

A social network is one of the most complex types of web applications in terms of database load. Activity feeds, subscriptions, likes, comments, real-time notifications — each of these features requires non-trivial architectural decisions. 1C-Bitrix has a built-in Social Network module (socialnetwork) that covers a significant portion of the basic functionality. The question is how deep the required customisation goes.

The Built-in socialnetwork Module

The socialnetwork module is included in the "Business" edition and higher. It provides:

• User groups (not to be confused with access groups) — analogous to communities.
• Live feed (b_sonet_log, b_sonet_log_right, b_sonet_log_event).
• Subscription system (b_sonet_subscription).
• Messages (b_sonet_message).
• Contacts/friends (b_sonet_relations).
• Workgroups.

If the built-in module's functionality is sufficient — use it without reinventing the wheel. If deep UI/UX customisation or non-standard logic is required — build on top of it or alongside it.

User Profile

An extended user profile — via UF fields (custom fields on the b_user_field table). Added in the admin area or programmatically:

$userType = new \CUserTypeEntity();
$userType->Add([
    'ENTITY_ID'        => 'USER',
    'FIELD_NAME'       => 'UF_AVATAR_FULL',
    'USER_TYPE_ID'     => 'file',
    'XML_ID'           => 'UF_AVATAR_FULL',
    'SORT'             => 100,
    'MULTIPLE'         => 'N',
    'MANDATORY'        => 'N',
    'SHOW_FILTER'      => 'N',
    'SHOW_IN_LIST'     => 'N',
    'EDIT_IN_LIST'     => 'Y',
    'IS_SEARCHABLE'    => 'N',
    'SETTINGS'         => ['EXTENSIONS' => 'jpg,jpeg,png,gif,webp'],
    'EDIT_FORM_LABEL'  => ['ru' => 'Фото профиля', 'en' => 'Profile photo'],
]);

Typical UF profile fields for a social network: UF_ABOUT, UF_CITY, UF_WEBSITE, UF_SOCIAL_VK, UF_SOCIAL_TG, UF_INTERESTS (multiple).

Activity Feed

The built-in Bitrix live feed is a good foundation. But for a custom social network a different feed generation algorithm is usually needed. Two approaches:

Pull model (simple). The user opens the feed — a DB query collects events from everyone they follow:

// Get IDs of users the current user follows
$subscriptions = \Bitrix\Socialnetwork\UserToUserTable::getList([
    'filter' => [
        'FROM_USER_ID' => $currentUserId,
        'RELATION'     => \Bitrix\Socialnetwork\UserToUserTable::RELATION_SUBSCRIBED,
    ],
    'select' => ['TO_USER_ID'],
])->fetchAll();

$followedIds = array_column($subscriptions, 'TO_USER_ID');
$followedIds[] = $currentUserId; // Own posts also in the feed

// Get posts
$posts = FeedPostTable::getList([
    'filter'  => ['AUTHOR_ID' => $followedIds, 'IS_DELETED' => false],
    'order'   => ['CREATED_AT' => 'DESC'],
    'limit'   => 20,
    'offset'  => $page * 20,
])->fetchAll();

Push model (scalable). When a post is published — add a record to the b_local_feed_{userId} table for each follower. The user's feed = their personal table. Expensive on write, fast on read. For large audiences (1000+ followers per author) — a hybrid scheme.

Posts and Content

HL block for posts:

class FeedPostTable extends \Bitrix\Main\ORM\Data\DataManager
{
    public static function getTableName(): string { return 'b_hl_social_post'; }

    public static function getMap(): array
    {
        return [
            new IntegerField('ID', ['primary' => true, 'autocomplete' => true]),
            new IntegerField('AUTHOR_ID'),
            new TextField('CONTENT'),           // Post text
            new StringField('CONTENT_TYPE'),    // text | html
            new BooleanField('IS_DELETED', ['values' => [false, true]]),
            new IntegerField('LIKES_COUNT'),
            new IntegerField('COMMENTS_COUNT'),
            new IntegerField('REPOSTS_COUNT'),
            new DatetimeField('CREATED_AT'),
            new DatetimeField('UPDATED_AT'),
            new StringField('PRIVACY'),         // public | friends | private
        ];
    }
}

Media attachments to posts — a separate table b_hl_social_post_media with fields: POST_ID, TYPE (image/video/file), FILE_ID (reference to b_file), SORT.

Likes and Reactions

The built-in socialnetwork module has the b_rating_vote table for likes. It is better to use it rather than building your own — Bitrix automatically displays like counters in its interfaces.

// Place a like via the rating module API
\Bitrix\Main\Loader::includeModule('rating');
$rating = new \CRating('BLOG_COMMENT', $postId, $authorId);
$rating->Like($currentUserId, 1);

If reactions are needed (❤️, 😂, 😮) — a separate table b_hl_social_reactions with a reaction type field.

Real-time Notifications

For notifications without page reload — two options:

Long polling. The client periodically (every 10–30 seconds) asks the server about new notifications. Simple to implement, works everywhere.

WebSocket via Bitrix Push Server. In corporate Bitrix24 installations, Push & Pull Server is available — a WebSocket server. Integration via the JS module BX.PullClient.

BX.ready(() => {
    BX.PullClient.subscribe({
        moduleId: 'local.social',
        callback: (data) => {
            if (data.command === 'new_notification') {
                showNotification(data.params);
                updateNotificationCounter();
            }
        }
    });
});

On the server when an event occurs (like, comment, subscription):

\Bitrix\Pull\Event::add($targetUserId, [
    'module_id' => 'local.social',
    'command'   => 'new_notification',
    'params'    => [
        'type'       => 'like',
        'from_user'  => $fromUserId,
        'entity_id'  => $postId,
        'message'    => $fromUserName . ' liked your post',
    ],
]);
\Bitrix\Pull\Event::send();

Subscription System

Follower-author relationships — via \Bitrix\Socialnetwork\UserToUserTable or a custom table. Important states: subscribed, subscription pending (for private accounts), blocked.

Development Timelines