garrach / chat-app

Chat-App README

Introduction

Welcome to Chat-App! This is a simple, user-friendly chat application designed to facilitate seamless communication between users. Chat-App offers real-time messaging, group chats, and multimedia sharing, ensuring a rich and interactive chat experience.

Features

• Real-Time Messaging: Send and receive messages instantly.
• Group Chats: Create and manage group conversations.
• Multimedia Sharing: Share images, videos, and other files.
• User Profiles: Customize your profile with a username, avatar, and status.
• Notification System: Get notified about new messages and activities.
• Message History: Access your chat history anytime.

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js
• npm (Node Package Manager)
• MongoDB (for database management)

Steps

1. Clone the repository:

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

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Configure the environment variables: Create a .env file in the root directory and add the following:

   PORT=3000 MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/chat-app JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key

4. Run the application:

   npm start

5. Access the application: Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000

Usage

1. Sign Up: Create a new account by providing a username, email, and password.
2. Log In: Log in to your account using your credentials.
3. Start Chatting: Begin a new chat by selecting a contact or creating a new group.
4. Send Messages: Type your message in the text box and hit enter to send.
5. Share Files: Use the attachment button to share images, videos, and other files.
6. Manage Profile: Update your profile picture and status from the settings menu.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from the community! To contribute, please follow these steps:

1. Fork the repository.

2. Create a new branch:

   git checkout -b feature-name

3. Make your changes and commit them:

   git commit -m "Description of your changes"

4. Push to the branch:

   git push origin feature-name

5. Create a pull request on GitHub.

License

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

Contact

For any questions or feedback, please reach out to us at [email protected].

Thank you for using Chat-App! Happy chatting!