chat-app-backend

Version 3.0.0

Description

Backend server code for a simple chat application using HTTP long polling instead of Websockets. Written in Nodejs using ExpressJS.
(Please note, this is the server repo, for frontend client, visit : chat-app-frontend)

Prerequisites

• Make sure NodeJS v12.x is installed along with npm (node package manager)

• Make sure mysql v8.x is installed on your local.

Getting Started

• Clone Repository and checkout

git clone https://github.com/shivamshekhar/chat-app-backend && cd chat-app-backend

• Install Gulp CLI

sudo npm i -g gulp

• Install modules

npm i

• Run Db migrations

sudo mysql -u root -p < ./scripts/mysql/db.sql

• Run app

npm run start

• Verify that app is running successfully by visiting following url in browser

http://localhost:4000/test

If app is running successfully, you'll see following message

{
    message : "App is running successfully"
}

Scope of improvement

Short Term

• Made a frontend web client for this server.
• Implement more functionality like adding a friend/contact, etc.
• Improve the auth and session token logic and make it more secure.
• Improve long polling logic to make it work in cluster mode.

Long Term

• Make an android client.
• Reformat the code, and use Typescript instead of NodeJS.
• Introduce clustering to run multiple processes.

Author

Shivam Shekhar
[email protected]