This chat application provides basic functionality for user authentication, real-time messaging, and group chat management. It supports JWT-based authentication, real-time messaging via Socket.IO, and message management for both individual and group chats.
- User Authentication (Registration & Login)
- Real-Time Messaging via WebSockets
- Message Management (send messages, retrieve message history)
- Group Chat Functionality (create group chats, send group messages)
- Node.js for the backend
- Express.js as the web framework
- MongoDB as the database
- Socket.IO for real-time messaging
- JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for authentication
Make sure you have the following installed:
- Node.js (v14 or higher)
- Docker and Docker Compose (for containerization)
- Postman or any REST client to test the APIs
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Clone the Repository
git clone <repository_link> -
Install Modules
npm install -
Environment Setup
Create a .env file and add the following environment variables:
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
MONGO_URI=mongodb://mongo:27017/chatapp
Run the Application Locally
- Using Docker:
docker-compose up --build
Running Locally:
- Make sure MongoDB is running locally, then run:
npm start
-
HTTP Files:
- The
.httpfiles (e.g.,user.http,messages.http,group.http) contain the requests to test each API endpoint. These can be used with VSCode's REST client extension or Postman.
- The
-
Postman Testing:
- The provided HTTP file structure can also be imported into Postman if you're using it instead of VSCode's REST client.
-
JWT Token:
- Make sure to replace
<your-jwt-token>with the actual JWT token you get after logging in.
- Make sure to replace