Chat On

This is a real-time chat application built using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, and Node.js). The application allows users to sign up, sign in, and participate in real-time chat conversations with other users. It utilizes WebSockets to enable instant message delivery, providing a seamless and responsive chatting experience.

Table of Contents

1. Features
2. Technologies Used
3. Prerequisites
4. Installation
5. Configuration
6. Running the Application

Features

• User Registration: New users can sign up to create an account with a unique username and password.
• User Authentication: Registered users can sign in with their credentials securely.
• Real-Time Chat: Users can send and receive messages in real-time with other users in the chat rooms.
• Multiple Chat Rooms: The application supports multiple chat rooms, and users can join any chat room they prefer.
• Unread Messages: Users receive a notification for unread messages, ensuring they don't miss any important conversations.

Technologies Used

• MongoDB: Database for storing user information, chat rooms, and messages.

• Express.js: Backend server framework for handling HTTP requests and WebSocket connections.

• React: Frontend library for building the user interface and managing application state.

• Node.js: Runtime environment for executing JavaScript code on the server-side.

• Socket.IO: Library for enabling real-time communication through WebSockets.

• bcrypt: For securely hashing and salting user passwords.

• JWT (JSON Web Tokens): For managing user authentication and sessions.

Prerequisites

• Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) installed on your system.

Installation

Clone the repository to your local machine

  git clone https://github.com/AnkitSingh-16/Chat-On

Navigate to the project directory

  cd Chat-On

Install the server dependencies

  npm install

Install the client dependencies

  cd frontend
  npm install

Configuration

To run this project, you will need to add the following environment variables to your .env file

MONGO_URI = your mongodb connection string

JWT_SECRET = your secret key for jwt

Running the Application

Navigate to the project directory

  cd Chat-On

Start the server

  npm start

Start the Client

  cd frontend
  npm start

The application will run on http://localhost:3000 by default.

Screenshots