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Flanerie Chat

A simple real-time web chat application built with Node.js, Express, and Socket.IO.

Features

  • Real-time messaging using WebSocket connections
  • Single chat room for all users
  • Random nicknames assigned to each user
  • Random colors for usernames
  • Dark mode interface
  • Mobile-friendly responsive design
  • Typing indicators to show when users are typing
  • User count display
  • Connection status notifications

Technologies Used

  • Backend: Node.js, Express.js, Socket.IO
  • Frontend: HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+)
  • Real-time Communication: WebSockets via Socket.IO

Installation

  1. Clone or download this repository
  2. Navigate to the project directory: 
    cd FlanerieChat
  3. Install dependencies: 
    npm install

Usage

  1. Start the server:

    npm start

    Or for development with auto-restart:

    npm run dev

  2. Open your browser and navigate to:

    http://localhost:3000

  3. Start chatting! Each user gets a random nickname and color automatically.

Features Overview

Server Features

  • Express.js web server serving static files
  • Socket.IO for real-time WebSocket communication
  • Random nickname generation (e.g., "CoolTiger123")
  • Random color assignment for usernames
  • User connection/disconnection handling
  • Message broadcasting to all connected users
  • Typing indicator support

Client Features

  • Clean, modern dark theme interface
  • Mobile-responsive design
  • Real-time message display
  • Typing indicators
  • Connection status notifications
  • Automatic scrolling to latest messages
  • Message timestamps
  • User count display

File Structure

FlanerieChat/
├── server.js          # Main server file
├── package.json       # Project dependencies and scripts
├── public/
│   ├── index.html     # Main HTML page
│   ├── styles.css     # CSS styling
│   └── script.js      # Client-side JavaScript
└── README.md          # This file

Configuration

The server runs on port 3000 by default. You can change this by setting the PORT environment variable:

PORT=8080 npm start

Browser Support

This application works on all modern browsers that support:

  • WebSockets
  • ES6+ JavaScript
  • CSS Grid and Flexbox
  • CSS Custom Properties (variables)

Development

To run in development mode with automatic server restart:

npm run dev

This uses nodemon to restart the server automatically when files change.

Deployment

For production deployment:

  1. Set the NODE_ENV environment variable to production
  2. Ensure all dependencies are installed
  3. Start the server with npm start
  4. Configure your reverse proxy (nginx, Apache) if needed
  5. Set up SSL/HTTPS for secure WebSocket connections

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and enhancement requests!

License

This project is licensed under the GNU GPL v3