MERN Chat App

This repository contains a full-stack chat application built using the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js). The chat application is designed with various features to enhance user experience, including real-time updates using WebSockets, online status indicators, file uploads/attachments, and auto-scrolling, among others.

Features

• Real-time Communication: Utilizes WebSockets for instant messaging and updates.
• Online Indicator: Shows when users are online/offline.
• File Uploads/Attachments: Allows users to share files during chats.
• Auto-Scrolling: Automatically scrolls to the latest message in active chats.

Technologies Used

• Frontend: React.js
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB

Installation

To run this application locally, you need to have Node.js and MongoDB installed on your machine.

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/KrlosDev/mern-chat.git

2. Install dependencies:

   cd client
   npm install
   

   cd api
   npm install
   

Set up environment variables:

1. Create a .env file in the root directory and provide the following variables:

   MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
   PORT=5000  # or any other port you want to use for the server
   

2. Start the client:

   npm run dev
   

3. Start the server:

   npm start
   

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please fork this repository and create a pull request with your improvements.