💬 NextChat – Real-Time Messaging Platform

NextChat is a real-time chat application built with Next.js, Socket.IO, MongoDB, and NextAuth. It supports both one-on-one and group messaging, enabling users to communicate instantly with rich features such as typing indicators, online status, group administration, and cross-provider authentication. Messages are stored in MongoDB and delivered in real-time for a seamless chat experience.

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🚀 Tech Stack

• ⚡ Frontend & Backend: Next.js (API Routes used as backend)
• 🔌 WebSocket Communication: Socket.IO
• 🧠 Database: MongoDB & Mongoose
• 🔐 Authentication: NextAuth.js (OAuth providers: Google, Microsoft)
• ☁️ Deployment-Ready: Built with performance and scalability in mind

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🌟 Key Features

• 🗨️ One-to-One & Group Chats

  • Create, manage, and leave group conversations
  • Assign group admins with control over membership

• 👤 Real-Time Authentication with OAuth

  • Secure login via Google Facebook Github and Microsoft
  • Unified user accounts: When a user logs in with multiple providers, their account is merged and tracked via providers array in the DB

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Group Management

  • Admins can add/remove members
  • Group messages delivered instantly with sender info (name + image)

• 💬 Real-Time Messaging

  • Instant message delivery using Socket.IO
  • Optimized filtering and ordering based on the latest message
  • Smooth scrolling and live updates in chat window and chat list

• 🟢 User Presence Detection

  • See who's online
  • Detect when a user is typing in real time

• 🧾 Message Persistence

  • Messages are stored in MongoDB with sender and receiver ID
  • Ensures consistency, history tracking, and persistence across sessions

• 🧠 Database-Optimized Architecture

  • Efficient message structure:

    {
      "_id": "6838583092c3d73faa3abf3e",
      "chatId": "68361f01a0d760c48b3be0f1",
      "senderId": "6833256a380d1d2bdeeabda0",
      "receiverId": "683325eda6319d7b1f0aa634",
      "message": "hi",
      "createdAt": "2025-05-29T12:50:56.136Z",
      "updatedAt": "2025-05-29T12:50:56.136Z"
    }

• 👨‍💼 User Schema Sample

  {
    "_id": "6833256a380d1d2bdeeabda0",
    "name": "Shayan Kashif",
    "email": "shayanfarooqui789@gmail.com",
    "image": "https://freepngimg.com/thumb/email_marketing/2-2-email-internet-png.png",
    "providers": ["azure-ad", "google"],
    "accountId": "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACaW0hVJn82GDNGQ4Ql1kWM"
  }

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🛠️ Getting Started

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-username/nextchat.git
cd nextchat

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Run the development server
npm run dev