A real-time chat application built using Django, Django REST Framework, and WebSockets. This app allows users to sign up, log in, and communicate instantly — all without refreshing the page. Built with scalability, responsiveness, and clean architecture in mind.
- 🔐 User authentication (Sign up, Login, Logout)
- 🧵 Real-time 1-to-1 chat using Django Channels & WebSockets
- 📬 Message history and chat persistence (stored in database)
- 🟢 Online user status indicator
- 🎨 Clean & responsive UI (HTML, CSS, JS)
- 🌐 API endpoints built with Django REST Framework (for future frontend support)
| Layer | Technology |
|---|---|
| Backend | Django, Django REST Framework |
| Real-Time | Django Channels, WebSockets |
| Frontend | HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript |
| Database | SQLite (default) or PostgreSQL (production-ready) |
| Auth | Django's built-in Authentication system |
| Deployment Ready | Yes (with Gunicorn + Daphne/ASGI setup) |
(Insert screenshots or a GIF demo of the app in action)
# 1. Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/django-chatapp.git
cd django-chatapp
# 2. Create and activate virtual environment
python -m venv env
source env/bin/activate # On Windows: env\Scripts\activate
# 3. Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
# 4. Run migrations
python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate
# 5. Create superuser
python manage.py createsuperuser
# 6. Run the development server
python manage.py runserver