💬 Chatly – Real-Time Chat Application

Chatly is a real-time messaging application built with the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React, Node.js) and Socket.IO.
The platform allows users to send instant messages, view online status, and communicate seamlessly through one-to-one or group chats.

It focuses on fast communication, real-time updates, and a modern responsive UI.

🌐 Live Demo
https://chatly-weld-gamma.vercel.app

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🚀 Features

⚡ Real-Time Messaging

• Instant messaging using Socket.IO
• Messages appear instantly without page refresh
• Smooth communication between users

👤 User Authentication

• Secure login and registration
• JWT-based authentication
• Protected routes

🟢 Online Status

• Shows which users are online
• Real-time updates of user activity

💬 Chat System

• One-to-one chat
• Group conversations
• Message history

📱 Responsive Design

• Clean and modern UI
• Mobile-friendly layout
• Built with Tailwind CSS

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🛠 Tech Stack

Frontend

• React.js
• Tailwind CSS
• Context API / Redux Toolkit
• Axios

Backend

• Node.js
• Express.js

Database

• MongoDB
• Mongoose

Real-Time Communication

• Socket.IO

Authentication

• JWT
• Cookies

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📂 Project Structure

Chatly
│
├── frontend
│   ├── src
│   ├── components
│   └── pages
│
├── backend
│   ├── controllers
│   ├── routes
│   ├── models
│   ├── middleware
│   └── socket.js
│
└── README.md

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⚙️ Installation

1️⃣ Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/PranshuChauhan149/Chatly.git

2️⃣ Navigate to project folder

cd Chatly

3️⃣ Install dependencies

Frontend

cd frontend
npm install

Backend

cd backend
npm install

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▶️ Run the Project

Start backend server

npm start

Start frontend server

npm run dev

Application will run on

http://localhost:3000

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📈 Future Improvements

• File & image sharing
• Message notifications
• Voice and video calling
• Message reactions
• Chat search functionality

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👨‍💻 Author

Pranshu Chauhan
Full Stack MERN Developer

GitHub
https://github.com/PranshuChauhan149

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⭐ If you like this project, consider giving it a star on GitHub.