iChat - Real Time Chat Application

A full-featured real-time chat application built using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) with Socket.io for real-time communication.

Features

• 🌟 Modern Tech Stack: MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) + Socket.io + TailwindCSS + Daisy UI
• 🔐 Secure Authentication: JWT-based authentication and authorization
• 💬 Real-time Messaging: Instant messaging with Socket.io
• 🟢 Online Status: Real-time user online/offline status indicators
• 📱 Responsive Design: Works seamlessly on desktop and mobile devices
• 🔄 State Management: Global state handling with Zustand
• 🛡️ Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling on both client and server
• 🔍 User Search: Find and connect with other users

Project Structure

ichat/
├── backend/                  # Server-side code
│   ├── controllers/          # Route controllers
│   ├── db/                   # Database connection
│   ├── middleware/           # Express middleware
│   ├── models/               # Mongoose models
│   ├── routes/               # API routes
│   ├── socket/               # Socket.io implementation
│   └── utils/                # Utility functions
├── frontend/                 # Client-side code
│   ├── public/               # Static files
│   └── src/
│       ├── assets/           # Images, sounds, etc.
│       ├── components/       # React components
│       ├── context/          # React context
│       ├── hooks/            # Custom React hooks
│       ├── pages/            # Page components
│       ├── utils/            # Utility functions
│       └── zustand/          # State management

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14+ recommended)
• MongoDB (local or Atlas)
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/chauhan-varun/ichat.git
cd ichat

2. Install server dependencies

npm install

3. Install client dependencies

cd frontend
npm install
cd ..

4. Create a .env file in the root directory with the following variables

PORT=5000
MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
NODE_ENV=development

Running the Application

Development Mode

Run backend server

npm run server

Run frontend (in a separate terminal)

cd frontend
npm run dev

Production Mode

Build the app

npm run build

Start the app

npm start

Technologies Used

Backend

• Node.js & Express.js - Server framework
• MongoDB & Mongoose - Database and ODM
• Socket.io - Real-time communication
• JWT - Authentication
• bcrypt.js - Password hashing

Frontend

• React.js - UI library
• Vite - Build tool
• TailwindCSS & Daisy UI - Styling
• Socket.io-client - Real-time communication
• Zustand - State management

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the ISC License.