Chat App

Real-time chat with Socket.io. Add friends, see who's online, chat instantly.

What it does

• Register/login
• Search & add friends
• Real-time messaging
• Online/offline status
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts

Stack

Frontend: React, Socket.io-client
Backend: Node.js, Express, Socket.io
DB: MongoDB
Auth: JWT

Running it

Backend:

cd server
npm install
npm start

Port: 5002

Frontend:

cd client
npm install
npm start

Port: 3000

Env vars

server/.env:

PORT=5002
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/chatapp
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key

How to use

1. Make an account
2. Click "Add Friend" and search for users
3. Click on a friend to chat
4. Type and send messages

Socket events

Client sends:

• join - go online
• sendMessage - send msg
• typing - typing status

Server sends:

• receiveMessage - new message
• userOnline / userOffline - status updates

API endpoints

Route	What it does
POST /api/auth/register	Sign up
POST /api/auth/login	Log in
GET /api/users/search	Find users
GET /api/users/friends	My friends
POST /api/users/friends/:id	Add friend
GET /api/messages/:userId	Chat history

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Built to learn Socket.io and real-time features.