Fullstack Chat App

A real-time chat application with authentication, messaging, and responsive UI.

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Features

• User registration & login (JWT authentication)
• Real-time messaging with Socket.IO
• Online/offline user status
• Private one-to-one chat
• Media/image upload support
• Responsive design for desktop and mobile

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Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v14+ recommended)
• npm
• MongoDB (cloud instance)
• Cloudinary account (for image/media uploads)

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Setup

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/csr4422/fullstack_chat-app.git
cd fullstack_chat-app

Install dependencies for both backend and frontend:

cd backend
npm install
cd ../frontend
npm install

Running the App

Start Backend

cd backend
npm run dev   # for development (nodemon)
npm start     # for production

Start Frontend

cd frontend
npm start