Multi-User Chat System

This is a Node.js backend application for a multi-user chat system that utilizes Express and WebSocket for real-time messaging.

Features

• Send messages between users
• Retrieve messages for a specific user
• Real-time message broadcasting using WebSocket

Project Structure

chat-backend
├── src
│   ├── app.js                # Initializes the Express application and WebSocket server
│   ├── server.js             # Entry point for starting the server
│   ├── controllers
│   │   └── messageController.js # Handles message-related requests
│   ├── routes
│   │   └── messageRoutes.js   # Defines message-related routes
│   ├── models
│   │   └── message.js         # Defines the Message model
│   ├── services
│   │   └── websocketService.js # Manages WebSocket connections and broadcasting
│   └── utils
│       └── index.js           # Utility functions
├── package.json               # npm configuration file
└── README.md                  # Project documentation

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd chat-backend
   

3. Install the dependencies:

   npm install
   

Usage

1. Start the server:

   npm start
   

   The server will listen on the specified port (default is 3000).

2. Send a message:

   • Endpoint: POST /messages
   • Body:

     {
       "userId": "senderId",
       "destinationId": "receiverId",
       "content": "Hello!"
     }

3. Retrieve messages:

   • Endpoint: GET /messages/:userId
   • This will return all messages for the specified user.

WebSocket

The application supports real-time messaging through WebSocket. When a message is sent, it is broadcasted to all connected clients.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.