ConnectApp

ConnectApp is a real-time chat application featuring video and voice call capabilities. It leverages Next.js for the frontend and Nest.js for the backend, providing a seamless user experience with modern web technologies.

Table of Contents

• Project Structure
• Getting Started
  • Prerequisites
  • Installation
  • Running the Application
    • Frontend
    • Backend
• Environment Variables
• Features
• Dependencies
  • Backend
  • Frontend
• Usage
• Contributing
• License
• Acknowledgements

Project Structure

The ConnectApp project is organized as follows:

connectApp/
├── frontend/   # Next.js project
└── backend/    # Nest.js project

Getting Started

To set up the ConnectApp project locally, follow these steps.

Prerequisites

Ensure you have the following software installed on your local machine:

• Node.js: Download here
• npm or yarn: npm / yarn

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/connectApp.git
cd connectApp

Install dependencies for both frontend and backend:

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm install
# or
yarn install

Backend:

cd ../backend
npm install
# or
yarn install

Running the Application

Frontend

Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd frontend

Start the Next.js development server:

npm run dev
# or
yarn dev

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser to see the application running.

Backend

Navigate to the backend directory:

cd backend

Start the Nest.js development server:

npm run start:dev
# or
yarn start:dev

The backend server will be running on http://localhost:3001 by default.

Environment Variables

Create .env files in both the frontend and backend directories to manage environment-specific settings. Here are examples of what you might need:

Frontend .env:

NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:3001

Backend .env:

MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/connectApp
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key

Features

• Real-Time Messaging: Powered by Socket.io for instantaneous communication.
• User Authentication: Secure login and signup processes using JWT for token-based authentication.
• Video and Voice Calls: High-quality video and audio calls utilizing WebRTC.
• Responsive UI: Designed with Tailwind CSS to ensure adaptability across devices.

Dependencies

Backend

• Nest.js
• MongoDB
• Mongoose
• Passport.js
• JWT
• Bcrypt
• Socket.io
• WebRTC

Frontend

• Next.js
• React Query
• Axios
• Socket.io-client
• Tailwind CSS

Usage

• User Authentication: Users can sign up and log in to the application. Authentication is handled using JWT, and passwords are hashed with bcrypt.
• Real-Time Chat: Users can send and receive messages in real-time. Messages are stored in MongoDB.
• Video and Voice Calls: Users can initiate and receive video and voice calls using WebRTC.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please read the CONTRIBUTING.md file for details on the code of conduct and the process for submitting pull requests.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

• Nest.js
• Next.js
• Tailwind CSS
• Socket.io
• MongoDB
• WebRTC