Fullstack Chat Application

Overview

This is a fullstack real-time chat application that allows users to communicate instantly. It includes user authentication, real-time messaging, theme customization, and profile management. The application is built using modern web technologies and provides a seamless user experience.

Features

• User Authentication : Login/Signup functionality with secure authentication.
• Real-Time Chat : Instant messaging between users using Socket.io.
• Theme Customization : Users can switch between different themes for a personalized experience.
• Profile Management : Users can upload and update their profile pictures.
• Responsive UI : Designed with React and Tailwind CSS for a smooth and modern interface.

Tech Stack

Frontend

• React.js - For building the user interface.
• Tailwind CSS - For responsive and customizable styling.

Backend

• Node.js - JavaScript runtime for server-side development.
• Express.js - Lightweight and fast backend framework.
• MongoDB - NoSQL database for storing user data and messages.

Real-Time Communication

• Socket.io - Enables real-time bi-directional communication between users.

Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (Latest version)
• MongoDB (Local or cloud instance)
• npm or yarn

Steps to run the Application

Backend setup

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/chat-app.git
cd chat-app/backend

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Start the backend server:

npm start

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd ../frontend

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Start the frontend server:

npm start

Usage

• Sign up or log in to your account.
• Select a user from the available chat list.
• Start real-time messaging with instant updates.
• Change themes from the settings panel.
• Update your profile image from the profile page.

Future Enhancements

• Functionality to update profile.
• Editing and deleting messages.
• Being able to upload documents and videos as currently only images can be sent.
• A search bar to search for users.
• Using Amazon S3 instead of Cloudinary to support sending large files.

Contributions

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to fork this repository and submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.