Real-Time Chat Application (MERN Stack)

This project is a real-time chat application built using the MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js) stack along with Socket.IO for enabling real-time communication between users.

Features

1) Real-Time Chatting Experience: Utilizing Socket.IO, this application provides users with a seamless real-time chatting experience, allowing them to exchange messages instantly.

2) MERN Stack: The application is built using MongoDB for data storage, Express.js for the backend server, React.js for the frontend user interface, and Node.js for server-side scripting.

3) User Authentication: Users can sign up, log in, and authenticate themselves securely to access the chat features.

Technologies Used

MongoDB: NoSQL database for storing chat messages and user data.

Express.js: Web application framework for Node.js, used for building the backend server.

React.js: JavaScript library for building user interfaces.

Node.js: JavaScript runtime for server-side development.

Socket.IO: JavaScript library for real-time web applications, enabling bidirectional communication between clients and servers.

Hosted URL

https://lets-chat-gapm.onrender.com/

Getting Started

To run this project locally, follow these steps:

Prerequisites

Node.js

npm or yarn

MongoDB

Installation

1) Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/soumilaggarwal2003/Chat-Application

cd Chat-Application

2) Install dependencies:

cd Backend

npm install

cd ../Frontend

npm install

3) Set up environment variables:

Create a .env file in the Backend directory.

Add the following environment variables:

PORT=

MONGO_DB_URI=

JWT_SECRET=

Node_ENV=

4) Start the development server:

cd Backend

npm run server

cd ../Frontend

npm run dev

5) Open your browser and navigate to: http://localhost:5173

Acknowledgements

Socket.IO Documentation

React Documentation

Express.js Documentation

MongoDB Documentation