Chat App (MERN + Socket.io)

This is a real-time chat application built using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js) and Socket.io for real-time messaging.

Features

• Real-time messaging with Socket.io
• User authentication (Login & Signup)
• Group and one-on-one chat support
• Responsive UI

Tech Stack

Frontend (SC Frontend)

• React.js (with React Router DOM for navigation)
• CSS (for styling)
• Axios (for API calls)
• Socket.io-client (for real-time communication)

Backend (CD Backend)

• Node.js with Express.js
• MongoDB (Database)
• Mongoose (ODM for MongoDB)
• Socket.io (for real-time communication)
• bcrypt (for password hashing)
• JWT (for authentication)

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (Latest LTS version recommended)
• MongoDB (Local or Cloud - MongoDB Atlas)

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

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

2. Setup Backend (CD Backend)

cd backend
npm install

Create a .env file in the backend folder and add the following:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key

Start the backend server:

npm start

3. Setup Frontend (SC Frontend)

cd ../frontend
npm install

Start the frontend server:

npm start

Running the App

1. Start the backend first (npm start in backend folder)
2. Start the frontend (npm start in frontend folder)
3. Open the app in your browser at http://localhost:3000 (or the port your frontend runs on)

Usage

• Sign up or log in with your credentials
• Start a chat with a user or a group
• Send and receive messages in real time

Contributing

Feel free to fork this repository and make improvements! PRs are welcome. 😊

Acknowledgments

Thanks to Socket.io and MERN stack for making real-time communication easy!

License

No license is applied to this project.