https://github.com/bocaletto-luca/chat
Chat-JS is a real-time chat web application built with Node.js, Express, and Socket.IO. It offers user registration, persistent sessions, live messaging with JSON history, notifications, and clear chat functionality. Ideal for local network deployment. By Bocaletto Luca
https://github.com/bocaletto-luca/chat
anonymous anonymous-chat authentication chat chat-app chat-application chat-online express javascript login-system nodejs realtime registration-system socketio web-app
Last synced: 2 months ago
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Chat-JS is a real-time chat web application built with Node.js, Express, and Socket.IO. It offers user registration, persistent sessions, live messaging with JSON history, notifications, and clear chat functionality. Ideal for local network deployment. By Bocaletto Luca
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/bocaletto-luca/chat
- Owner: bocaletto-luca
- License: gpl-3.0
- Created: 2025-05-14T19:16:23.000Z (5 months ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2025-06-25T14:27:03.000Z (4 months ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-06-25T15:30:32.765Z (4 months ago)
- Topics: anonymous, anonymous-chat, authentication, chat, chat-app, chat-application, chat-online, express, javascript, login-system, nodejs, realtime, registration-system, socketio, web-app
- Language: JavaScript
- Homepage: https://bocaletto-luca.github.io/
- Size: 45.9 KB
- Stars: 13
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 4
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
- License: LICENSE
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
# Chat-JS
Chat-JS is a self-contained real-time chat web application built with Node.js, Express, and Socket.IO. It features user registration and login with persistent sessions, a real-time chat interface with persistent message history stored in JSON files, a global notification bell, and a "Clear Chat" button to reset the conversation. The app is designed for easy deployment on a local network using a friendly domain name.
[](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Guide/HTML/HTML5)
[](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/CSS)
[](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/JavaScript)
[](LICENSE)
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[](https://bocaletto-luca.github.io/Chat/public/index.html)
---
## Table of Contents
- [Features](#features)
- [Project Structure](#project-structure)
- [Installation](#installation)
- [Configuration](#configuration)
- [Server Configuration](#server-configuration)
- [Running the Application](#running-the-application)
- [Usage](#usage)
- [Contributing](#contributing)
- [License](#license)
- [Acknowledgments](#acknowledgments)
---
## Features
- **User Registration & Login**
Users register and log in via RESTful API endpoints. Sessions are managed with `express-session`, keeping users logged in until they explicitly log out.
- **Real-time Communication**
Messages are exchanged in real time using Socket.IO. All messages are stored in `messages.json`, ensuring that the chat history is persistent.
- **Persistent Message History**
When a user logs in, the chat history is retrieved from `messages.json` so previous messages remain visible.
- **Global Notification Bell**
The "Bell" button triggers an audible notification on all connected clients.
- **Clear Chat Functionality**
A dedicated "Clear Chat" button allows authorized users to remove all current messages, effectively resetting the conversation.
---
## Project Structure
The project is organized as follows:
Chat-JS/
├── node_modules/ # Installed npm modules
├── public/ # Front-end static files
│ ├── index.html # Main HTML page
│ ├── chat-online.css # Custom CSS styling
│ └── chat-online.js # Client-side JavaScript logic
├── server.js # Back-end server (Express, Socket.IO, session management)
├── user-save.json # JSON file storing registered users (auto-generated)
├── messages.json # JSON file storing chat messages (auto-generated)
└── README.md # This file
---
## Installation
### Prerequisites
- **Node.js** (v12 or later recommended)
- **npm**
### Cloning the Repository
To clone the repository, open your terminal and execute the following commands:
git clone https://github.com/bocaletto-luca/Chat-JS.git
cd Chat-JS
### Installing Dependencies
Install the required npm modules by running:
npm install
---
## Running the Application
### Starting the Server
From the project root directory, start the server by running:
node server.js
You should see the following output in your terminal:
Server is running on port 3000
### Accessing the Application
- **On the Host Machine:**
Open your web browser and navigate to:
http://localhost:3000
## Usage
1. **Register & Login:**
Use the tabs on the homepage to register a new account or log in. Session data persists across page refreshes until logout.
2. **Real-time Chat:**
Once logged in, messages are exchanged in real time. All messages are stored in `messages.json` for persistence.
3. **Global Notification (Bell):**
Click the "Bell" button to trigger an audible notification on all connected clients.
4. **Clear Chat:**
Click the "Clear Chat" button to clear the chat history. This action empties the `messages.json` file and notifies all clients to reset the conversation.
---
## Contributing
Contributions, bug reports, and feature requests are welcome! To contribute:
1. Fork the repository.
2. Create a new branch for your feature (for example, run:
git checkout -b feature/my-feature
3. Commit your changes.
4. Push your branch and open a pull request with a detailed description of your modifications.
---
## License
This project is licensed under the GPL v3. See the LICENSE file for details.
---
## Acknowledgments
- **Express** – Fast, unopinionated web framework for Node.js.
- **Socket.IO** – Real-time bidirectional event-based communication library.
- **Bootstrap** – Front-end framework for building responsive, mobile-first websites.