🔸 YASHCHAT

YASHCHAT is a full-stack real-time chat application featuring secure user authentication, a modern UI, and real-time messaging using Socket.io. The project is split into two subfolders: a frontend built with Next.js, and a backend built with Express.js.

🌐 Live Demo

• Frontend: https://yashchat-two.vercel.app
• Backend (API): https://chat-backend-3e4y.onrender.com

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📁 Project Structure

Chat-App/
│
├── backend/                  → Express.js backend
│   ├── controllers/          → Route logic (auth, user, chat, message)
│   ├── middleware/           → Auth middleware
│   ├── models/               → Mongoose models
│   ├── routes/               → API route files
│   ├── socket/               → Socket.io logic
│   ├── .env                  → Environment variables
│   └── server.js             → App entry point
│
└── frontend/                 → Next.js frontend
    ├── app/                  → App router pages
    ├── components/           → UI components (e.g., MessageCard, ThemeToggle)
    ├── lib/                  → API utilities & helpers
    ├── public/               → Static assets
    ├── .env.local            → Environment variables
    └── tailwind.config.js    → TailwindCSS config

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🚀 Tech Stack

Frontend

• Framework: Next.js
• Styling: Tailwind CSS
• UI Components: shadcn/ui
• Real-time: Socket.io Client

Backend

• Server: Express.js
• Database: MongoDB Atlas
• ORM: Mongoose
• Auth: JWT (JSON Web Token)
• Real-time: Socket.io
• Password Hashing: bcryptjs

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🔐 Authentication & Security

• JWT-based authentication.
• Passwords are securely hashed using bcryptjs.
• Protected routes using middleware (/api/messages, /api/chats).

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📦 API Endpoints

Auth Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/auth/register	Register new user
POST	/api/auth/login	Login user & get token

User Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/users	Get all users
GET	/api/users/:id	Get user by ID
PATCH	/api/users/:id	Update user
DELETE	/api/users/:id	Delete user

Chat Routes

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/chats/user/:id	Get all user chats
GET	/api/chats/:id	Get single chat
POST	/api/chats	Create new chat
POST	/api/chats/add-message	Add message to chat
PATCH	/api/chats/update	Update chat info
DELETE	/api/chats/:id	Delete chat

Message Routes (🔐 Protected)

Method	Endpoint	Description
GET	/api/messages/:chatId	Get messages by chat ID
POST	/api/messages	Send new message

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💡 Features

• ✅ User registration & login
• ✅ Real-time one-on-one messaging
• ✅ Theme toggling (light/dark mode)
• ✅ Secure backend with JWT
• 🔜 Group chats (coming soon!)
• 🔐 Protected chat/message endpoints

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⚙️ Environment Variables

Backend .env

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongo_uri
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret

Frontend .env.local

NEXT_PUBLIC_API_BASE=https://chat-backend-3e4y.onrender.com

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🛠️ Scripts

Run these from the respective directories:

Backend

npm install
npm run dev

Frontend

npm install
npm run dev

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☁️ Deployment

• Frontend: Vercel

• Backend: Render

  • Socket.io is hosted on Render since Vercel doesn't support WebSockets.

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🧑‍💻 Author

Made by YASHDEV42