Chat Backend

A real-time chat application backend built with Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL, and Socket.IO.

Database Design

View database diagram

Features

• User authentication (register, login, logout)
• Email verification
• Password reset functionality
• User profile management
• Real-time messaging with Socket.IO
• Direct and group conversations
• Message typing indicators , File attachments
• Group conversation management

Installation & Setup

1. Clone the repository

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Environment variables

   • Copy .env.example to .env
   • Configure environment variables as needed

4. Start Docker containers

   docker compose up

   This will start:

   • PostgreSQL database
   • Adminer (for database management)
   • MailHog (for development email testing)

5. Database setup

   npm run db

   This will run migrations and seed the database

Usage

Start development server

npm run dev

The server will start at http://localhost:3000 (or the port specified in your .env file)

API Documentation

API documentation is available via Swagger UI at:

http://localhost:3000/api-docs

Available Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/v1/auth/register - Register a new user
• POST /api/v1/auth/login - User login
• POST /api/v1/auth/verify-email - Email verification
• POST /api/v1/auth/logout - User logout
• POST /api/v1/auth/forgot-password - Request password reset
• POST /api/v1/auth/reset-password - Reset password

User Management

• GET /api/v1/user/me - Get current user profile
• GET /api/v1/user/:id - Get user by ID
• PATCH /api/v1/user/:id - Update user profile
• POST /api/v1/user/update-password - Update password

Conversations

• GET /api/v1/conversation - Get all conversations
• GET /api/v1/conversation/:id - Get conversation by ID
• POST /api/v1/conversation/direct - Create direct conversation
• POST /api/v1/conversation/group - Create group conversation
• PATCH /api/v1/conversation/:id - Update group details
• DELETE /api/v1/conversation/:id - Delete conversation

Messages

• POST /api/v1/message - Create message
• GET /api/v1/message/conversation/:conversationId - Get conversation messages
• PATCH /api/v1/message/:messageId - Update message
• DELETE /api/v1/message/:messageId - Delete message

Project Structure

The project follows a modular structure:

src/
├── modules/           # Feature modules
│   ├── auth/          # Authentication
│   │   ├── auth.controller.ts       # Handles authentication-related requests
│   │   ├── auth.routes.ts           # Defines routes for authentication
│   │   ├── auth.schema.ts           # Validation schema for authentication requests
│   │   ├── auth.service.ts          # Business logic for authentication
│   │   ├── userToken.model.ts       # Defines UserToken model/schema
│   ├── user/          # User management
│   ├── conversation/  # Conversations
│   └── message/       # Messages
├── middlewares/       # Express middlewares
├── utils/             # Utility functions
└── app.ts             # Application entry point

Authentication

The application uses stateless JWT authentication. Tokens are provided upon login and must be included in the Authorization header for protected routes.

Available Scripts

• npm run dev - Run development server
• npm run build - Build production code
• npm run start - Run production server
• npm run lint - Run ESLint
• npm run db - Run migrations and seed database
• npm run db:reset - Drop, create, and seed database
• npm run db:refresh - Reset migrations and run again