Alpha Messaging App - MERN

Description

Alpha Messaging App is a simple full-stack messaging application built with Express.js, MongoDB, and React. It provides users with the ability to sign up, communicate with each other in real-time, and share images.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Technologies Used
• Project Structure
• Setup and Installation
• Running the App
• Backend
• Frontend
• Contribution
• License

Features

• Real-time Messaging: Utilizes WebSocket for instant communication.
• Online/Offline Indicator: Shows the online status of users.
• File Sharing: Users can share images with each other.

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Technologies Used

Backend

• Express.js: Web application framework for Node.js.
• MongoDB: A NoSQL database for storing user and message data.
• WebSocket (ws): A library for adding WebSocket support to your Node.js HTTP server.

Frontend

• React: A JavaScript library for building user interfaces.
• React Router: A library for handling navigation in React applications.
• Axios: A promise-based HTTP client for making API requests.
• WebSocket: A communication protocol providing full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection.

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Project Structure

• backend: Contains the Express.js server code.
• frontend: Houses the React frontend application.

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Setup and Installation

Backend

1. Navigate to the backend folder:

   cd backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables:

   Create a .env file in the root of the backend folder with the following content:

   MONGO_URL=
   JWT_SECRET_KEY=
   CLIENT_URL=

Frontend

1. Navigate to the frontend folder:

   cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

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Running the App

Backend

Run the backend server:

npm run dev

Frontend

Start the development server:

npm run dev

Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000 to view the app.

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Contribution

Feel free to contribute to the project. If you have ideas for improvements or find any issues, please open an issue or submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Note

This app is not deployed yet. I'm planning to enhance the application further by scaling it, updating the UI for a better user experience, implementing advanced data storage solutions, integrating Google authentication, and adding more exciting features.

Check: Alpha Messaging App v2