SwiftTalk - Real-Time Chat Messaging Application

A modern, full-stack messaging application with real-time communication, AI-powered chat assistance, task management, and smart notifications built with React, Node.js, and WebSockets.

Features

• Real-Time Messaging: Instant message delivery with live read receipts and typing indicators
• AI-Powered Chat: AI assistance for writing suggestions, smart replies, message translation, and chat summarization
• Task Management: Integrated task management with subtasks, priorities, tags, and due dates
• Smart Notifications: Web push notifications with optional email alerts
• File & Media Sharing: Send images, documents, and files with instant previews
• User Authentication: Secure JWT-based authentication with OTP verification
• OAuth Integration: Supports login with Google and GitHub
• Privacy Controls: Blocked-user management and private/public chat options
• Group Chats: Create and manage group conversations with admin roles

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Environment Configuration

Create a .env file in the server/ directory with the following variables:

# Database
DATABASE_URL="mysql://user:password@localhost:3306/swifttalk"

# Redis
REDIS_URL="redis://localhost:6379"

# JWT Configuration
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key
JWT_REFRESH_SECRET=your_refresh_secret_key

# OAuth — Google
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your_google_client_id
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your_google_client_secret
GOOGLE_CALLBACK_URL=http://localhost:3001/api/auth/google/callback

# OAuth — GitHub
GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=your_github_client_id
GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=your_github_client_secret
GITHUB_CALLBACK_URL=http://localhost:3001/api/auth/github/callback

# Frontend URL (used for OAuth redirects)
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
ALLOWED_ORIGINS=http://localhost:3000

# Web Push Notification (VAPID Keys)
VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY=your_vapid_public_key
VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY=your_vapid_private_key
VAPID_EMAIL=mailto:your_email@example.com

# AI Integration
GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key

# Email / OTP
EMAIL_USER=your_email@example.com
EMAIL_PASS=your_email_password

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Setup: Docker (Recommended)

Prerequisites

• Docker (v20.10+)
• Docker Compose (v2.0+)
• Modern web browser with JavaScript enabled

1. Clone and Navigate

cd SwitftTalk

2. Configure Environment

Create the .env file in the root directory as described in Environment Configuration.

The .env file is automatically loaded by Docker Compose.

3. Start Services

# This starts all services
docker-compose up -d

# Start only the backend server
docker-compose up -d mysql redis server

# Start only the frontend client
docker-compose up -d client

This starts the following services:

Service	Port	Description
MySQL Database	3306	Primary database
Redis Cache	6379	Session and cache store
Node.js Server	3001	REST API & WebSocket server
React Client	3000	Web application

4. Access the Application

• Frontend: http://localhost:3000
• API Server: http://localhost:3001

5. Manage Services

# Stop all services (keeps data volumes)
docker-compose down

# Stop and remove all data (hard reset)
docker-compose down -v

Database Migrations (Docker)

# Create a new migration
docker exec switfttalk-server-1 npx prisma migrate dev --name your_migration_name

# Open Prisma Studio (GUI for database)
docker exec switfttalk-server-1 npx prisma studio

Testing the Docker Setup

# Test frontend
curl http://localhost:3000

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Setup: Local Development (Without Docker)

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• MySQL (v8.0+) — running locally or remotely
• Redis (v6.2+) — running locally or remotely
• npm or yarn

1. Clone and Navigate

cd SwitftTalk

2. Configure Environment

Create the .env file in the root directory as described in Environment Configuration.

Additionally, configure database and Redis connections in server/.env:

# Database
DATABASE_URL="mysql://root:your_password@localhost:3306/swifttalk"

# Redis
REDIS_URL="redis://localhost:6379"

3. Install Dependencies

# Install backend dependencies
cd server
npm install

# Install frontend dependencies
cd ../client
npm install

4. Set Up the Database

cd server

# Run migrations to create schema
npx prisma migrate dev

# (Optional) Seed initial data
npx prisma db seed

5. Start the Application

Open two terminal windows:

# Terminal 1 — Start backend server (from /server)
cd server
npm run dev

# Terminal 2 — Start frontend (from /client)
cd client
npm start

6. Access the Application

• Frontend: http://localhost:3000
• API Server: http://localhost:3001
• Health Check: http://localhost:3001/health

Database Migrations (Local)

# Create a new migration
cd server
npx prisma migrate dev --name your_migration_name

# Open Prisma Studio (GUI for database)
npx prisma studio

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API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Register new user
• POST /api/auth/verify-registration-otp - Verify OTP to complete registration
• POST /api/auth/resend-registration-otp - Resend registration OTP
• POST /api/auth/cancel-registration - Cancel pending registration
• POST /api/auth/login - Login user (initiates OTP flow)
• POST /api/auth/verify-otp - Verify login OTP
• POST /api/auth/resend-otp - Resend login OTP
• POST /api/auth/logout - Logout user
• POST /api/auth/refresh-token - Refresh access token
• GET /api/auth/me - Get current authenticated user
• POST /api/auth/request-password-reset - Request password reset email
• POST /api/auth/reset-password - Reset password with token
• GET /api/auth/google - Initiate Google OAuth login
• GET /api/auth/google/callback - Google OAuth callback
• GET /api/auth/github - Initiate GitHub OAuth login
• GET /api/auth/github/callback - GitHub OAuth callback

Users

• GET /api/users/profile - Get current user profile
• PUT /api/users/profile - Update user profile
• GET /api/users/:id - Get user by ID
• POST /api/users/block/:id - Block a user

Chats

• GET /api/chats - List all chats
• POST /api/chats - Create new chat
• GET /api/chats/:id - Get chat details
• DELETE /api/chats/:id - Delete chat

Messages

• GET /api/messages/:chatId - Get chat messages
• POST /api/messages - Send message
• DELETE /api/messages/:id - Delete message

Tasks

• GET /api/tasks - List tasks
• POST /api/tasks - Create task
• PUT /api/tasks/:id - Update task
• DELETE /api/tasks/:id - Delete task

Uploads

• POST /api/upload - Upload a file (image, document, etc.)

Notifications

• GET /api/notifications - Get notifications
• POST /api/notifications/subscribe - Subscribe to push notifications
• POST /api/notifications/send - Send notification

AI

• POST /api/ai/smart-replies - Get AI generated smart replies
• POST /api/ai/translate - Translate a message to a target language
• POST /api/ai/summarize - Summarize the current chat
• POST /api/ai/sessions - Create new AI chat session
• GET /api/ai/sessions - Get all AI sessions for current user
• GET /api/ai/sessions/:id - Get AI session by ID
• DELETE /api/ai/sessions/:id - Delete AI session by ID

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🔌 WebSocket Events

Real-time communication uses Socket.IO:

// Client connects
io.on('connect', () => { /* handle connection */ })

// Listen for new messages
socket.on('message:new', (data) => { /* handle new message */ })

// Listen for typing indicators
socket.on('user:typing', (data) => { /* handle typing */ })

// Listen for read receipts
socket.on('message:read', (data) => { /* handle read */ })

// Listen for online status
socket.on('user:online', (data) => { /* handle online status */ })

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Technology Stack

Frontend

• React 19 - UI framework
• React Router 7 - Client-side routing
• Socket.IO Client - Real-time communication
• Axios - HTTP client
• React Helmet - Document head management

Backend

• Node.js 18 - Runtime
• Express.js - Web framework
• Prisma - Database ORM
• Socket.IO - WebSocket library
• Passport.js - OAuth authentication (Google, GitHub strategies)
• JWT - Authentication tokens
• Redis - Caching & session management
• Langchain - AI pipeline
• Gemini API - AI integration (smart replies, translation, summarization)
• Nodemailer - Email delivery for OTP & notifications
• node-cron - Scheduled background jobs

Infrastructure

• MySQL 8.0 - Primary database
• Redis 6.2 - Cache & session store
• Nginx - Reverse proxy & static file server
• Docker - Containerization
• Docker Compose - Service orchestration
• GitHub Actions - CI/CD pipelines

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Security Features

• ✅ JWT-based authentication with refresh tokens
• ✅ OTP email verification for login and registration
• ✅ OAuth 2.0 via Google and GitHub (Passport.js)
• ✅ Password hashing with bcrypt
• ✅ CORS protection with allowlist
• ✅ Rate limiting on API endpoints
• ✅ User blocking/privacy controls
• ✅ Secure WebSocket connections
• ✅ Environment variable isolation

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License

See LICENSE file for details.

Author

Created by Rushikesh

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Last Updated: June 16, 2026