Chat Application

This is a full-stack chat application built with Node.js, Express, MongoDB, React, and Socket.IO.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Tech Stack
• Getting Started
  • Backend Setup
  • Frontend Setup
• Usage

Features

• Real-time messaging with Socket.IO
• RESTful API for message handling
• MongoDB for data storage
• React frontend with Vite for fast development

Tech Stack

Backend:

• Node.js
• Express
• MongoDB
• Socket.IO

Frontend:

• React
• Vite
• Socket.IO Client

Getting Started

Backend Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/chat-application.git
   cd chat-application/backend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file:

   Copy the .env.example file to .env and update the environment variables.

   cp .env.example .env

   Update the .env file with your MongoDB URI and client URL:

   MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_uri
   CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:5173
   PORT=5000

4. Start the backend server:

   npm start

   The backend server will run on http://localhost:5000.

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

   cd ../frontend

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Start the frontend development server:

   npm run dev

   The frontend server will run on http://localhost:5173.

Usage

1. Open your browser:

   Navigate to http://localhost:5173 to use the chat application.

2. Send messages:

   You can send and receive messages in real-time.

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