💬 FortiComm (MERN + Socket.io)
A full-stack real-time chat application built using the MERN stack — MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js — with Socket.io for instant messaging and TailwindCSS for a clean, modern UI.
🚀 Features
⚡ Real-time messaging (via Socket.io)
🔐 JWT Authentication
💾 MongoDB database (Mongoose)
🎨 Beautiful UI with TailwindCSS
🔄 Instant message updates without page reloads
🌐 REST APIs using Express
🧩 Modular & scalable folder structure
🧠 Tech Stack
Layer Technology
Frontend React + Vite + TailwindCSS Backend Node.js + Express Database MongoDB + Mongoose Real-Time Socket.io Authentication JWT Tools Axios, dotenv, nodemon
🗂 Folder Structure
chat-app/ │ ├── client/ # Frontend │ ├── src/ │ │ ├── components/ # Chat components │ │ ├── pages/ # App screens (Login, Chat) │ │ └── assets/ │ └── package.json │ ├── server/ # Backend │ ├── controllers/ # Logic for requests │ ├── models/ # Mongoose schemas │ ├── routes/ # API routes │ ├── socket.js # Socket.io setup │ ├── server.js # Main entry point │ └── package.json │ └── .env # Environment variables
⚙ Installation & Setup
1️⃣ Clone the Repository
git clone https://github.com/shivansh-0826/chat-app.git cd chat-app
2️⃣ Install Dependencies
Backend
cd server npm install
Frontend
cd ../client npm install
3️⃣ Setup Environment Variables
Create a .env file inside the server/ folder and add:
PORT=5000 MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key
4️⃣ Run the App
Backend:
npm run server
Frontend:
npm run dev
Then open http://localhost:5173 in your browser.
🔄 How It Works
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Users log in and connect to the server via Socket.io.
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When a user sends a message, it’s emitted to the backend.
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The backend broadcasts it to the receiver in real time.
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Messages are stored in MongoDB for persistence.
🧰 Environment Variables
Variable Description
PORT Server running port MONGO_URI MongoDB connection string JWT_SECRET Secret key for JWT tokens
📦 Deployment
This app can be deployed easily on Vercel (frontend) and Render / Railway (backend). You can configure environment variables directly on those platforms.