GostChat

A modern, real-time chat application built with React, Node.js, and Socket.io.

🚀 Overview

GostChat is a fully-featured, production-ready real-time communication platform. It features Google OAuth for seamless authentication, a robust friendship system, direct messaging, media attachments, and extensive customizable settings including dark mode.

✨ Features

• Google OAuth Authentication: Secure and easy login/registration without managing passwords.
• Real-time Messaging: Lightning-fast communication using Socket.io.
• Friendship System: Send, accept, and manage friend requests.
• Media Attachments: Upload images and files using Cloudinary.
• Customizable UI: Dark/Light themes and chat preferences (e.g., auto-download images).
• Online Presence: See who is online in real-time.
• Read Receipts & Typing Indicators: Enhanced communication experience.
• Secure & Production Ready: Rate limiting, HTTP parameter pollution protection, gzip compression, and secure cookies.

📸 Screenshots

(Replace with actual screenshots of your application)

Dashboard	Chat Interface	Settings
[Dashboard Placeholder]	[Chat Placeholder]	[Settings Placeholder]

🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend (Client)

• React 18 + Vite
• React Router DOM
• Vanilla CSS + CSS Variables

Backend (Server)

• Node.js + Express.js
• Socket.io
• MongoDB + Mongoose
• Cloudinary (Media Storage)

Monorepo Tooling

• NPM Workspaces
• TypeScript
• ESLint + Prettier

📖 Architecture & Documentation

Please refer to the docs/ folder for detailed architectural documentation:

• Application Architecture
• Database Schema
• API Documentation
• Socket Events
• Folder Structure
• Deployment Guide

(Note: ARCHITECTURE.md in the root serves as the project's rigid constraints manifesto).

⚙️ Installation & Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v24+)
• MongoDB Atlas (or local MongoDB)
• Cloudinary Account
• Google Cloud Console Account (OAuth Client ID)

Local Development

1. Clone the repository:

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

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables:

   • Copy .env.example to server/.env and fill in the values.
   • Copy client/.env.example to client/.env and fill in the values.

4. Build the Shared workspace:

   npm run build -w shared

5. Start the Development Servers:

   # Run both client and server concurrently
   npm run dev

🐳 Docker Setup

GostChat includes multi-stage Dockerfiles and a docker-compose.yml for easy containerized deployment.

1. Ensure your .env variables are correctly injected or updated in docker-compose.yml.
2. Run the application stack:

   docker-compose up --build -d

3. Access the application at http://localhost:5173.

🚀 Deployment

GostChat is decoupled for deployment on PaaS providers:

• Frontend: Optimized for Vercel. Connect your repository, set the build command to npm run build and output directory to client/dist. Ensure VITE_API_URL and VITE_GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID are set.
• Backend: Optimized for Railway. Deploy the server/ folder or use the provided Dockerfile. Set all environment variables securely in the Railway dashboard.
• Database & Media: Rely on MongoDB Atlas and Cloudinary respectively.

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Pull Request Template and check out our Issue Templates before submitting.

1. Fork the Project
2. Create your Feature Branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your Changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the Branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

🗺 Future Roadmap

• Group Chats
• Voice & Video Calls
• Message Reactions
• End-to-End Encryption (E2E)

📄 License

Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for more information.