mern-chatApp

A simple chat application built using the MERN (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js) stack.

Features

• Real-time messaging between users
• User authentication and authorization
• Message history
• Emojis and file sharing support

Demo

Check out the live demo of the MERN Chat Application here.

Installation

To run the MERN chat application locally, follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/Vigneshk5/mern-chatApp.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd mern-chatApp

3. Install the dependencies for the server:

   cd api
   yarn install

4. Install the dependencies for the client:

   cd ../client
   yarn install

5. Create a .env file in the server directory and provide the following environment variables:

   MONGODB_URI=YOUR_MONGODB_URI
   JWT_SECRET=YOUR_JWT_SECRET
   CLIENT_URL=CLIENT_URL
   

   Replace YOUR_MONGODB_URI with your MongoDB connection string and YOUR_JWT_SECRET with a secret key for JWT token generation.

6. Start the server:

   cd ../api
   yarn start

7. Start the client:

   cd ../client
   yarn start

8. Open your browser and visit http://localhost:3000 to see the application.

Technologies Used

• MongoDB: A NoSQL document database for storing messages and user data.
• Express.js: A web application framework for building the server-side API.
• React.js: A JavaScript library for building the user interface.
• Node.js: A JavaScript runtime for executing server-side code.
• WebSockets: A technology for enabling real-time, bidirectional communication between clients and the server.