NimbusTalk - Real-Time Chat Application

NimbusTalk is a full-stack real-time chat application built with React (Vite), Node.js, Express, MongoDB, and Socket.io. It supports user authentication, real-time messaging, image uploads, and online user tracking.

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Features

• User Authentication: Sign up, log in, log out, and update profile.
• Real-Time Messaging: Instant chat using Socket.io.
• Online Users: See who is online in real-time.
• Image Uploads: Upload and share images via Cloudinary.
• Responsive UI: Built with React and Vite for fast, modern interfaces.
• Notifications: Toast notifications for user feedback.

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Technologies Used

• Frontend: React, Vite, Zustand, Axios, React Hot Toast, Socket.io-client
• Backend: Node.js, Express, MongoDB, Mongoose, Socket.io, Cloudinary
• Other: Cloudinary for image storage, JWT for authentication

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Project Structure

Chat-App/
│
├── backend/
│   ├── .env
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── lib/
│   │   ├── middleware/
│   │   ├── models/
│   │   ├── routes/
│   │   └── index.js
│   └── package.json
│
├── frontend/
│   ├── public/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── components/
│   │   ├── lib/
│   │   ├── pages/
│   │   ├── store/
│   │   ├── App.jsx
│   │   └── main.jsx
│   ├── package.json
│   └── README.md
│
└── README.md

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v16+ recommended)
• npm or yarn
• MongoDB Atlas account (or local MongoDB)
• Cloudinary account

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Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/your-username/nimbustalk.git
   cd nimbustalk

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install --prefix backend
   npm install --prefix frontend

3. Configure environment variables:

   Create a .env file in the backend directory:

   MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_uri
   PORT=5001
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
   CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
   CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret
   NODE_ENV=development

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Running the Application

1. Start the backend:

   npm start --prefix backend

2. Start the frontend:

   npm run dev --prefix frontend

3. Open your browser and go to http://localhost:5173 (or the port Vite shows).

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Usage

• Sign Up: Create a new account.
• Log In: Access your chat dashboard.
• Chat: Send messages in real-time.
• Profile: Update your profile and upload an avatar.
• Logout: Securely log out.

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Environment Variables

Set these in backend/.env:

• MONGODB_URI - MongoDB connection string
• PORT - Backend server port
• JWT_SECRET - Secret for JWT authentication
• CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME, CLOUDINARY_API_KEY, CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET - Cloudinary credentials
• NODE_ENV - development or production

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Contributing

Pull requests are welcome! For major changes, please open an issue first.

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.