Node SubUrl ChatRoom

A lightweight, real-time chat room application built with Node.js, Express, Socket.io, and EJS. Supports multiple isolated rooms via URL sub-paths.

Features

• Multi-room: Create/join rooms via URL path (e.g., /gaming, /friends)
• Private messages: @username or /w username syntax
• Admin controls: First user in a room becomes admin with mute/unmute powers
• Mute system: IP-based mute with configurable duration
• Message search: Search through chat history
• Emoji picker: Built-in emoji selector
• Dark/Light theme: Toggle between themes
• Mobile responsive: Drawer-style user list on mobile devices
• Auto-reconnect: Socket.io handles reconnection seamlessly
• Message history cache: 15-minute message retention for mobile reconnection — when mobile browser switches away and back, missed messages are automatically restored
• Desktop notifications: Browser push notifications for new messages, private chats, and @mentions (user-toggleable)
• Title blink: Page title flashes on new messages when the tab is in the background

Quick Start

npm install
npm start

Server runs at http://localhost:3000 by default. Configure port via .env file:

PORT=8080

Access Rooms

URL	Description
http://localhost:3000	Auto-redirects to default room
http://localhost:3000/gaming	Join gaming room
http://localhost:3000/friends	Join friends room

Usage

• Nickname: Saved in localStorage per room. Use the "Change Nickname" button to switch.
• Private chat: Click a user in the online list to @mention, or use /w username message.
• Admin: The first user in a room becomes admin. Hover over a user to see the mute button.

Deployment

Deploy to a VPS (Linux)

# Install Node.js (v18+)
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Clone and setup
git clone https://github.com/your-username/node_suburl_chatroom.git
cd node_suburl_chatroom
npm install --production

# Create .env file
echo "PORT=3000" > .env

# Run with process manager (recommended)
npm install -g pm2
pm2 start server.js --name chatroom
pm2 save
pm2 startup

Deploy with Docker

FROM node:20-alpine
WORKDIR /app
COPY package*.json ./
RUN npm install --production
COPY . .
EXPOSE 3000
CMD ["node", "server.js"]

docker build -t chatroom .
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 --name chatroom chatroom

Deploy to Railway / Render / Fly.io

1. Connect your GitHub repository
2. Set build command: npm install
3. Set start command: node server.js
4. Set environment variable PORT if needed

Reverse Proxy (Nginx)

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name chat.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

Tech Stack

• Backend (Node.js): Node.js, Express, Socket.io
• Backend (Worker): Cloudflare Workers, Durable Objects
• Frontend: EJS (Node.js) / Vanilla HTML (Worker), Tailwind CSS, DaisyUI
• Storage: In-memory (Node.js) / Durable Objects SQLite (Worker)

License

ISC