Msg - A Secure Messaging Application

Overview

Msg is a secure messaging application that allows users to communicate with friends through text and image messages. The application features end-to-end encryption to ensure privacy and security in communications.

Features

• User authentication (Login/Registration)

• Secure messaging with end-to-end encryption

• Image sharing

• Reply to messages

• Voice and video calling

• User-friendly interface

• Responsive design for mobile and desktop

• Play youtube videos in ur messages

Technologies Used

• Frontend: React, CSS

• Backend: Node.js, Express

• Database: MongoDB

• Containerization: Docker

• Encryption: Forge, elliptic curve cryptography

• WebSocket: Socket.io for real-time messaging

Usage

Using Docker Compose

To simplify the setup and management of your application, you can use Docker and Docker Compose. Docker Compose allows you to define and run multi-container Docker applications.

Prerequisites

• Ensure you have Docker and Docker Compose installed on your machine.

• It is easier to manage containers if you have Docker Desktop installed, as it provides a user-friendly interface for managing your Docker containers and images.

Docker Compose Configuration

The application is configured using a docker-compose.yml file, which defines the services, networks, and volumes needed to run the application.

Environment Variables

Make sure to update the .env file in the root directory of your project (if you haven't already) and define the necessary environment variables for your application. The values u update should include:

# Change DB user and password
MONGODB_USER=dbUser
MONGODB_PASSWORD=dbPassword

# Change session secret
SESSION_SECRET="session secret"

# Fill in your own FCM values, or leave the default and use the application without FCM for android
FCM_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----FCM_PRIVATE_KEY"
FCM_PRIVATE_KEY_ID="FCM_PRIVATE_KEY_ID"
FCM_PROJECT_ID="FCM_PROJECT_ID"
FCM_CLIENT_EMAIL="FCM_CLIENT_EMAIL"
FCM_CLIENT_ID="FCM_CLIENT_ID"
FCM_CLIENT_X509_CERT_URL="FCM_CLIENT_X509_CERT_URL"

Make sure to replace the placeholder values with actual values relevant to your setup.

Running the Application

1. Clone the Repository (if you haven't already):

   git clone https://github.com/gijs-d/Msg-A-Secure-Messaging-Application.git
   cd Msg-A-Secure-Messaging-Application

2. Build and Run the Containers:

   In the root directory of your project, run:

   docker-compose up

   This command will build the Docker images and start the containers defined in the docker-compose.yml file. The application will be accessible at https://localhost.

3. Stopping the Application:

   To stop the running containers, you can use:
   

       ctrl + c
   

   To delete the containers, you can use:

       docker-compose down

4. After changing the DB User or Password:

   After changing the DB user or password, you might need to delete the database volumes to connect with the new credentials:

   docker-compose down --volumes

Without using Docker Compose

Prerequisites

• Node.js
• npm or yarn
• MongoDB

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/gijs-d/Msg-A-Secure-Messaging-Application.git
cd Msg-A-Secure-Messaging-Application

Install Dependencies

For the frontend:

    cd frontend/react
    npm install

    cd frontend/server
    npm install

For the backend:

    cd backend
    npm install

Environment Variables

Edit the backend/.env file in and edit the necessary environment variables:

MONGODB_USER=dbUser
MONGODB_PASSWORD=dbPassword
MONGODB_DATABASE=msg
MONGODB_PORT=7017
MONGODB_HOST=localhost

# If you set the CONNECTION_STRING, the other mongodb values will be ignored.
MONGODB_CONNECTION_STRING=""

# Change session secret
SESSION_SECRET="session secret"

# Fill in your own FCM values, or leave the default and use the application without FCM for android
FCM_PRIVATE_KEY="-----BEGIN PRIVATE KEY-----FCM_PRIVATE_KEY"
FCM_PRIVATE_KEY_ID="FCM_PRIVATE_KEY_ID"
FCM_PROJECT_ID="FCM_PROJECT_ID"
FCM_CLIENT_EMAIL="FCM_CLIENT_EMAIL"
FCM_CLIENT_ID="FCM_CLIENT_ID"
FCM_CLIENT_X509_CERT_URL="FCM_CLIENT_X509_CERT_URL"

Run the Application

Start the backend server:

    cd backend
    npm start

Build the react dist:

    cd frontend/react
    npm run build

Start the frontend server:

    cd frontend/server
    npm start

The application will be accessible at https://localhost.

Screenshots