Group Chat App (Personal Project)

A web application with chat features including user authentication, messaging, media support, and admin operations.

Features

• Secure User Authentication using JWT for token-based login and Bcrypt for password hashing.
• Real-time Chat functionality for sending and receiving messages instantly.
• Media File Sharing support for uploading and sending images or files.
• Group Chat Management with features for adding and removing group members.
• Admin Controls for group admins to manage members within a group.
• Seamless Group Creation where any user can create a group and invite new members.

Technologies Used

• Frontend: HTML, Bootstrap (for responsive and stylish UI)
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MySQL with Sequelize ORM
• Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens), Bcrypt
• Real-time Communication: Socket.IO

Project Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (version 14 or higher)
• MySQL (or another MySQL-compatible database)
• npm (Node Package Manager)

Steps to Set Up

1. Clone the repository

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

2. Install Dependencies Inside the project directory, run the following command to install all necessary dependencies.

   npm install

3. Set Up Environment Variables You need to create a .env file in the root of your project with the following variables:

   DB_HOST=localhost
   DB_USER=root
   DB_PASSWORD=yourpassword
   DB_NAME=groupchat
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key

4. Set Up MySQL Database Create a database in MySQL (or another compatible database) with the name specified in your .env file (groupchat).

   CREATE DATABASE groupchat;

5. Run Database Migrations Sequelize will handle the database schema migrations. Run the following command to set up your database tables.

   npx sequelize-cli db:migrate

6. Start the Application After setting up the environment, you can run the application:

   npm start

   This will start the server, and your app will be accessible at http://localhost:3000 (or a different port if configured).

Frontend Setup

• The frontend part of the app uses Bootstrap for styling and HTML to handle user interactions.
• For the chat functionality to work, you'll need to configure the Socket.IO client-side logic as per the implementation in the app.

Testing

• Use the app on your local machine to test all functionalities.
• Ensure to use tools like Postman to test the authentication and CRUD operations (adding/removing group members, sending messages, etc.).

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Application Features

• Login & Registration:

  • Users can register an account using their email and password.
  • Authentication is handled with JWT tokens to keep users logged in.

• Group Management:

  • Any user can create a group and add members to it.
  • Group admins can remove members from the group.
  • Admins have the ability to manage groups.

• Messaging:

  • Real-time messaging using Socket.IO for instant message delivery.
  • Users can send both text messages and media files (images, documents).

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.