Chat-App

A real-time text messaging web application built with Node.js, Express, Socket.io, and SQLite for session storage and chat history persistence.

---

Features

• Public chat room visible to all users
• Private messaging between users
• Real-time typing indicators
• Online users list
• Persistent sessions using SQLite session store
• Chat history saved in memory (can be extended to DB)
• Responsive and simple frontend UI

---

Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express, Socket.io, express-session, connect-sqlite3, SQLite
• Frontend: HTML, CSS, JavaScript (Socket.io client)
• Deployment: Deployed on Render.com (or any Node.js hosting)

---

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or later recommended)
• npm (comes with Node.js)
• Git (for cloning repository)

---

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/HSA-ATTOCK/chat-app.git
cd chat-app

2. Install dependencies

npm install

3. Run the application locally

npm start

4. Open your browser and navigate to

http://localhost:5000

---

Folder Structure

chat-app/
├── public/             # Frontend files (HTML, CSS, JS)
│   ├── index.html
│   ├── script.js
│   └── style.css
├── server.js           # Node.js backend server
├── package.json        # Project manifest
└── README.md           # This documentation file

---

How It Works

• The backend server manages WebSocket connections with Socket.io.
• Users connect and can set their username.
• Users can send messages publicly or privately.
• Chat messages and typing indicators are broadcasted in real-time.
• Session middleware persists usernames across reconnects.
• Chat history is stored in-memory for public and private chats.

---

Deployment on Render.com

1. Push your project to GitHub.

2. Create a new Web Service on Render.com.

3. Connect your GitHub repository.

4. Set the following in Render’s deployment settings:

   • Build Command: npm install
   • Start Command: node server.js

5. Deploy and access your app at the provided Render URL.

---

Configuration

• The server listens on port specified by environment variable PORT or defaults to 5000.
• Sessions use SQLite store to persist user sessions (connect-sqlite3).

---

Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome!

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

---

Contact

Created by HSA-ATTOCK.

Feel free to reach out for any questions or collaboration.