Two different configurations of compact optical chaos generators, based either on fiber or monolithic photonic integration, have been designed, fabricated, and experimentally characterized in terms of their potential to generate a broadband chaotic optical spectrum. The architectures considered have the potential to offer various types of dynamics depending on the design and operational conditions-from periodic states to complex chaos. Their application in an optical chaos communication scheme is also studied, through the capability of such complex carriers to synchronize with the appropriate receiver and regenerate the carrier locally. Numerical simulations confirm the behavior of these emitters in terms of chaos generation and identify the preferable operating conditions and limitations for the optimum performance.