Gupshup - Real-time Chat Application

Gupshup is a full-stack real-time messaging application designed to facilitate seamless communication between users. Built using the MERN stack, it supports one-on-one messaging, group chats, and real-time notifications.

Features

• Authentication & Authorization: Secure login and signup functionality using JWT (JSON Web Tokens).
• Real-time Messaging: Instant messaging using Socket.io.
• One-on-One Chat: Private conversations with other users.
• Group Chat: Create groups, add/remove members, and rename groups.
• Typing Indicators: See when the other user is typing.
• User Search: Search for users to start conversations with.
• Profile Management: View user profiles and manage chat settings.
• Responsive Design: Fully optimized for desktop and mobile devices.

Tech Stack

Frontend:

• React.js
• Context API (State Management)
• Chakra UI / Material UI / CSS [Check your package.json to confirm which UI library you used]
• Axios

Backend:

• Node.js
• Express.js

Database:

• MongoDB (Mongoose ODM)

Real-time Communication:

• Socket.io

Project Structure

gupshup-mychatApp/
├── frontend/       # React frontend application
├── backend/        # Node.js/Express backend API
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

⚙️ Installation & Setup

Follow these steps to set up the project locally.

Prerequisites

• Node.js installed
• MongoDB installed locally or a MongoDB Atlas account

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/YashVerma-code/gupshup-mychatApp.git
cd gupshup-mychatApp

2. Backend Setup

Navigate to the backend directory (or root if backend is in root) and install dependencies.

cd backend
npm install

Create a .env file in the backend folder and add the following credentials:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key
NODE_ENV=development

Start the backend server:

npm start
# or
npm run server

3. Frontend Setup

Open a new terminal, navigate to the frontend directory, and install dependencies.

cd frontend
npm install

Start the React development server:

npm start

🔌 API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/user/login	Authenticate user and get token
POST	/api/user	Register a new user
GET	/api/user?search=	Search for users
POST	/api/chat	Create or access a chat
GET	/api/chat	Fetch all chats for the user
POST	/api/chat/group	Create a group chat
POST	/api/message	Send a message
GET	/api/message/:chatId	Fetch all messages for a chat

Contributing

Contributions are welcome!

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

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.