🚀 Banter - Modern Chat & Video Calling Platform

A modern, full-stack real-time communication platform featuring instant messaging, HD video calls, file sharing, and collaborative spaces. Built with cutting-edge web technologies for optimal performance and user experience.

✨ Features

🗨️ Real-time Messaging

• Instant messaging with typing indicators and read receipts
• Emoji support with emoji picker
• File sharing (images, videos, documents)
• Message history with pagination
• Private and group chats

📹 Video & Voice Calls

• HD video calling with WebRTC
• Screen sharing capabilities
• Audio-only calls option
• Call history and statistics
• Multi-participant support

🔐 Authentication & Security

• Email/Password authentication
• Google OAuth integration
• JWT-based security
• Protected routes and API endpoints
• Email verification system

🏠 Room Management

• Public and private rooms
• Room creation and joining
• Participant management
• Room-specific settings
• Video/chat/hybrid room modes

🎨 User Experience

• Dark/Light theme support
• Responsive design (mobile-first)
• Real-time online status
• Friend system
• User profiles and avatars
• Modern glassmorphism UI

🏗️ Architecture

Frontend (Client)

• Framework: Next.js 15 with App Router
• Language: TypeScript
• Styling: Tailwind CSS v4
• UI Components: Radix UI primitives
• State Management: React Context + Hooks
• Real-time: Socket.IO Client
• Forms: React Hook Form + Zod validation
• HTTP Client: Axios

Backend (Server)

• Framework: NestJS
• Language: TypeScript
• Database: PostgreSQL with Prisma ORM
• Authentication: Passport.js (JWT + Google OAuth)
• Real-time: Socket.IO
• File Upload: Multer
• Email: Nodemailer
• Caching: Redis
• API Documentation: Swagger

Infrastructure

• Database: PostgreSQL
• Cache: Redis
• File Storage: Local/Cloud storage
• WebRTC: Peer-to-peer connections
• Email Service: SMTP (Gmail/SendGrid)

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ and npm
• PostgreSQL database
• Redis server
• Google OAuth credentials (optional)

1. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/banter.git
cd banter

2. Backend Setup

cd server
npm install
cp .env.example .env
# Configure your environment variables
npm run db:migrate
npm run start:dev

3. Frontend Setup

cd client
npm install
cp .env.example .env.local
# Configure your environment variables
npm run dev

4. Access the Application

• Frontend: http://localhost:3000
• Backend API: http://localhost:5000
• API Documentation: http://localhost:5000/api

📁 Project Structure

banter/
├── client/                 # Next.js Frontend Application
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── app/           # App Router pages
│   │   ├── components/    # React components
│   │   ├── contexts/      # React contexts
│   │   ├── lib/          # Utilities and API client
│   │   └── types/        # TypeScript type definitions
│   ├── public/           # Static assets
│   └── package.json
│
├── server/                # NestJS Backend Application
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── auth/         # Authentication modules
│   │   ├── user/         # User management
│   │   ├── room/         # Room/chat functionality
│   │   ├── message/      # Message handling
│   │   ├── call/         # Video call features
│   │   ├── upload/       # File upload handling
│   │   └── common/       # Shared utilities
│   ├── prisma/           # Database schema and migrations
│   └── package.json
│
├── docs/                 # Documentation
├── GOOGLE_OAUTH_SETUP.md # OAuth setup guide
└── README.md            # This file

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Client (.env.local)

NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:5000/api/v1

Server (.env)

# Database
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/banter_db

# Authentication
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret

# Redis
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

# Email
SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=your_email@gmail.com
SMTP_PASS=your_app_password

See .env.example files in each directory for complete configuration options.

🧪 Testing

Backend Testing

cd server
npm run test          # Unit tests
npm run test:e2e      # End-to-end tests
npm run test:cov      # Coverage report

Frontend Testing

cd client
npm run test          # Jest tests
npm run test:watch    # Watch mode

📚 API Documentation

The backend provides comprehensive API documentation through Swagger:

• Local: http://localhost:5000/api
• Production: https://your-domain.com/api

Key API Endpoints

• POST /auth/login - User login
• POST /auth/register - User registration
• GET /oauth/google - Google OAuth initiation
• GET /rooms - Get user rooms
• POST /rooms - Create new room
• GET /messages/room/:id - Get room messages
• POST /messages - Send message

🔒 Security Features

• JWT Authentication with refresh tokens
• Google OAuth 2.0 integration
• Input validation with Zod schemas
• SQL injection protection via Prisma
• XSS protection with proper sanitization
• CORS configuration for cross-origin requests
• Rate limiting on API endpoints
• File upload restrictions and validation

🚢 Deployment

Frontend (Vercel/Netlify)

cd client
npm run build
npm run start

Backend (Railway/Heroku/VPS)

cd server
npm run build
npm run start:prod

Database Migration

cd server
npm run db:migrate
npm run db:generate

🤝 Contributing

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

Development Guidelines

• Follow TypeScript best practices
• Use conventional commits
• Add tests for new features
• Update documentation as needed
• Follow ESLint and Prettier configurations

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Next.js team for the amazing React framework
• NestJS team for the powerful Node.js framework
• Tailwind CSS for the utility-first CSS framework
• Socket.IO for real-time communication
• Prisma for the excellent database toolkit

📞 Support

• 📧 Email: support@banter.app
• 🐛 Issues: GitHub Issues
• 💬 Discussions: GitHub Discussions

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