A real-time chat application built with React frontend and Node.js backend, featuring file uploads, private messaging, and Docker deployment.

• Real-time messaging with Socket.IO
• User authentication (sign up/sign in)
• File upload support (images and documents)
• Private messaging between users
• Online user list
• Responsive UI with Tailwind CSS
• Docker containerization

• React 19
• TypeScript
• Vite
• Tailwind CSS
• Socket.IO Client
• React Router DOM
• Axios

• Node.js
• Express.js
• Socket.IO
• Sequelize (PostgreSQL)
• JWT Authentication
• Multer (file uploads)
• bcrypt

• Docker and Docker Compose
• Node.js 18+ (for local development)
• PostgreSQL (handled by Docker)

1. Set up environment variables

   # Copy environment files
   cp server/.env.example server/.env
   cp client/.env.example client/.env

2. Build and run with Docker Compose

   docker-compose up --build

3. Access the application

   • Frontend: http://localhost:3000
   • Backend API: http://localhost:5005

1. Navigate to server directory

   cd server
   cp .env.example .env

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Start PostgreSQL (or use Docker)

   docker run --name postgres -e POSTGRES_USER=app -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=app -e POSTGRES_DB=appdb -p 5432:5432 -d postgres:16-alpine

4. Start the server

   npm run dev

1. Navigate to client directory

   cd client
   cp .env.example .env

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Start the development server

   npm run dev

# Database Configuration
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_USERNAME=app
DB_PASSWORD=app
DB_DATABASE=appdb

# JWT Configuration
JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key-here

# Server Configuration
PORT=5005
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:3000

# CORS Configuration
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost:3000

# API Configuration
VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5005

# Build and start all services
docker-compose up --build

# Start services in background
docker-compose up -d

# Stop services
docker-compose down

# View logs
docker-compose logs

# Rebuild specific service
docker-compose up --build backend

• POST /auth/sign-up - User registration
• POST /auth/sign-in - User login
• GET /auth/current-user - Get current user info

• GET /messages - Get all public messages
• GET /messages/private/:userId - Get private messages with specific user
• POST /messages - Send message (supports file uploads)

• GET /users - Get users list

The application supports uploading images and documents. Files are stored in the server/uploads/ directory and served via the /uploads endpoint.

• Frontend: React SPA with real-time updates via Socket.IO
• Backend: Express.js API server with Socket.IO for real-time communication
• Database: PostgreSQL with Sequelize ORM
• File Storage: Local file system (can be extended to cloud storage)
• Authentication: JWT tokens stored in cookies

• The application uses TypeScript for better type safety
• Real-time messaging is handled through Socket.IO events
• File uploads are processed via multipart/form-data
• The UI is responsive and uses Tailwind CSS for styling
• Docker setup includes PostgreSQL database and both frontend/backend services