Real-Time Chat Application

Real-time chat application built with React, Node.js, Express, and PostgressSQL.

Features

• User authentication (sign-up, login, logout)
• Real-time messaging with Socket.IO
• Friend requests and direct messaging
• Persistent message history with PostgreSQL

Prerequisites

• Node.js
• PostgreSQL

Enviroment Variables

• Create a .env file in the server directory with the following content:
  • DB_USER=your_db_user
  • DB_HOST=your_db_host
  • DB_NAME=your_db_name
  • DB_PASSWORD=your_db_password
  • DB_PORT=your_db_port
  • JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

Setup Database

• Create your PostgreSQL Database and then run the CreateTables.sql file in the ./server/db/Schema folder to develop your schema

Running the Application

1. Frontend: In the base directory run "npm run dev"
2. Backend: In the ./server/ directory run "node server.js"

• The frontend will be available at http://localhost:5173
• The backend will be available at http://localhost:5000

Project Structure:

• src/: React components, hooks, and pages
• server/: Backend Node.js application
  • server.js: Main server file
  • db/: DB Schema Files

Technologies Used

• Frontend: React, Typescript, Socket.IO Client
• Backend: Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL, Socket.IO, JWT (JSON Web Tokens)