Chat Application

Overview

This is a chat application built using Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, Socket.IO, and other technologies. It provides features like user authentication, real-time messaging, chat editing and deletion, profile picture upload, and more.

Features

• User Authentication: Users can register and log in to access the chat application.
• User Authorization: Only authenticated users can access the dashboard, and non-authenticated users are redirected to the login/register page.
• Real-Time Messaging: Users can chat with each other in real-time.
• Message Editing and Deletion: Users can edit and delete their own messages.
• Profile Picture Upload: Users can upload a profile picture during registration.

Technology Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, Mongoose
• Real-Time Communication: Socket.IO
• Authentication and Authorization: bcrypt, express-session, cookie-parser
• File Upload: Multer, Cloudinary
• Frontend Templating Engine: EJS
• Other Middleware: body-parser, cors

Setup Instructions

Backend Setup

1. Clone this repository to your local machine.

git clone <repository-url>

2. Navigate to the project directory.

cd chat-application

3. Install dependencies.

npm install

4. Configure environment variables.

• Create a .env file in the root directory.
• Add the necessary environment variables ((e.g., MongoDB connection string, session secret, Cloudinary credentials).)
  • Example :

            - PORT = 8000
            - MONGODB_URL = "mongodb+srv://<Your Name>:<Your Password>@chat-app.xzstind.mongodb.net/Chat-App?retryWrites=true&w=majority&appName=Chat-App"
            - SESSION_SECRET = "YourSessionSecret"

• Create a helper folder under cloudinary.ejs file
  • Example :

            const cloudinary = require('cloudinary');
    
            cloudinary.v2.config({
                cloud_name: 'Your cloud name',
                api_key: 'Your api key',
                api_secret: 'Your api secret',
                secure: true,
            });
    
            module.exports = cloudinary;

5. Start the server.

npm start

Frontend Setup

1. Ensure that the backend server is running.
2. Open a web browser and navigate to the URL where the backend server is hosted (e.g., http://localhost:8000).
3. You should see the login/register page. Follow the instructions to register or log in.
4. After logging in, you'll be redirected to the dashboard where you can start chatting with other users.