MERN Chat Application

A real-time chat application built using the MERN (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) stack. This open-source chat application allows users to sign up, log in, and chat in real time with other registered users.

Features

• Real-time Messaging: Instant messaging between users with live updates.
• User Authentication: Secure user signup and login.
• User Profiles: Each user has a profile with a display name and avatar.
• Responsive Design: Fully responsive and mobile-friendly.
• Message Notifications: Visual notifications for new messages.
• Database: Stores users, messages, and chat rooms.
• Scalability: Designed to handle multiple users and large chat rooms.

Demo

https://chat-application-mern-black.vercel.app/

Table of Contents

• Getting Started
• Prerequisites
• Installation
• Running the Application
• Tech Stack
• ScreenSnaps

Getting Started

To get a local copy up and running, follow these steps.

Prerequisites

• Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager)
• MongoDB (a MongoDB Atlas account or local MongoDB installation)
• Git

Installation

1. Clone the Repository

2. Install Dependencies for both client and server:

   npm install
   cd frontend
   npm install

3. Environment Variables: Create a .env file in the server directory and add the following environment variables:

   MONGO_URL=your_mongodb_connection_string
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key
   PORT=8000

Running the Application

1. Start the Server:

   npm run server

2. Access the Application: Open your browser and go to http://localhost:8000

ScreenSnaps

1. Authentication pages

2. Chatting page

   

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React, Axios, Socket.IO client
• Backend: Node.js, Express, Socket.IO
• Database: MongoDB
• Authentication: JSON Web Tokens (JWT)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here’s how you can help:

1. Fork the project
2. Create a branch (git checkout -b feature/YourFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add new feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/YourFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request