nexChat

A real-time chat application built with MERN stack that allows users to chat with each other in real time.

Project setup

To set up the project on your local machine, you need to have MongoDB installed on your PC, or you can also use MongoDB Atlas, the cloud version of MongoDB. Create an account here. Create a cluster and copy the connection uri in order to connect with your cluster from within your local environment. More details an be found here.

Next, you need to have a Cloudinary account in order to store user images. Create an acount here. Log into your account and create an API key.

Now, you can clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/AyobamiAdebesin/nexchat-MERN

In the root of the project folder, install the backend dependenies by running

npm install

Next, you will install the frontend dependencies in a new terminal and running:

cd frontend

npm install

Create a .env file to store your environment variables:

PORT=<Your port for your backend>
MONGO_URI=<mongo uri>

To start the backend, open the terminal where the backend dependencies was installed and run:

npm start

To start the frontend, open the terminal where the frontend dependencies was installed and run:

npm start

You can view the application on your localhost by visiting

 http://localhost:3000

in your browser.

Compiles and minifies for production

npm run build

Lints and fixes files

npm run lint

Screenshots