Kizuna: Real-Time Chat Platform

Kizuna is a feature-rich chat application built for seamless real-time communication. Powered by the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express, React, Node.js) with Redis caching and Cloudinary media handling, Kizuna delivers a responsive and scalable messaging experience.

Key Features

• Instant Messaging: Real-time message delivery using Socket.IO for fluid conversations
• Secure Authentication: Robust user authentication system powered by JWT tokens
• Media Sharing: Support for image sharing and profile pictures through Cloudinary integration
• Performance Optimized: Redis caching implementation for faster data retrieval and OTP storage
• Modern UI: Clean and intuitive interface built with React and Tailwind CSS
• Mobile Responsive: Fully responsive design that works seamlessly across devices

Tech Stack

Frontend

• React - UI framework
• Tailwind CSS - Styling
• Socket.IO Client - Real-time communication
• Axios - HTTP client
• Zustand - State Management

Backend

• Node.js & Express - Server framework
• MongoDB - Database
• Redis - Caching layer
• Socket.IO - WebSocket handling
• Cloudinary - Media storage
• JWT - Authentication

Additional Tools

• Mongoose - MongoDB object modeling
• Helmet - Security headers
• Cors - Cross-origin resource sharing

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js
• MongoDB
• Redis (Better with Docker)
• Cloudinary account

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/AdiInfiniteLoop/Kizuna
cd Kizuna

2. Set up environment variables

# Create .env file in kizuna-backend directory
touch .env

# Backend environment variables
DEV_PORT=3000
DB_CONNECTION_STRING=your_mongodb_connection_string
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
NODE_ENV=development
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUDINARY_SECRET_KEY=your_cloudinary_secret_key
FRONTEND_URL=https://kizuna-ten.vercel.app/
TWO_PASS=your_two_factor_secret
REDIS_HOST=your_redis_host
REDIS_USER=your_redis_username
REDIS_PORT=your_redis_port
REDIS_PASSWORD=your_redis_password

3. Install dependencies

# Install server dependencies
cd kizuna-backend
npm install

# Install client dependencies
cd ../kizuna-frontend
npm install

4. Run the application

# Start kizuna-backend 
npm run dev

# Start kizuna-frontend (from client directory)
npm run dev

The application will be available at:

• Frontend: http://localhost:5173
• Backend: http://localhost:3000

Key Functionalities

• Real-time messaging
• User authentication and authorization
• Profile customization with image uploads
• Online status indicators
• Message delivery status
• Chat history persistence

Future Enhancements

• PUB-SUB Architecture for Chat-Groups using Redis

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Socket.IO documentation
• MongoDB documentation
• React documentation
• Express.js documentation

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Feel free to reach out with any questions or suggestions!

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