How to Build a Feature-Rich Real-Time Chat Application with Node.js

Users can easily join specific chat rooms via custom URLs. Suppose your friends are in a room called “krafichatroom1” and your name is “Rafi”. Navigating to http://yourdomain.com/rafi/krafichatroom1 will automatically join the chat room under the username “rafi”.

If a custom link isn’t provided, users can manually enter their username and room name on the landing page.

The chat app provides real-time messaging, ensuring instant communication between users. Messages display the sender’s username and the exact time of the message.

With built-in file-sharing capabilities, users can easily upload and share files within the chat. Images can be directly viewed within the chat via a convenient “View” button.

The application keeps track of active users in each chat room, displaying a real-time list. This feature allows users to see who is currently online and engaged in the conversation.

All messages exchanged in the chat are logged and saved in files named after the respective chat rooms. This ensures there’s a persistent record of all activities.

Activate invisible mode by clicking the “Toggle Invisible Mode” button. The chat screen will turn blank, and you can return to the chat by typing the secret key sequence zx.

The built-in image viewer allows users to open and view shared images directly within the chat. By clicking the “View” button on image links, users can see the images in an overlay.

npm install express http socket.io multer

To join a specific chat room directly, use:

http://yourdomain.com/username/roomname