Winky — Real-Time Chat App

Stay connected with just a Wink. 😉

Winky is a simple, fun, real-time web chat app built with Node.js, Express, and Socket.IO. It lets users connect instantly, send and receive live messages, and see who’s online — all wrapped in a modern dark theme.

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✨ Features

• 🔗 Real-Time Messaging — Powered by Socket.IO for fast, bi-directional communication.
• 👥 Online Users List — See who’s connected in real time.
• 📣 Join/Leave Notifications — System messages keep everyone updated.
• 🌙 Dark Mode — Clean, responsive dark UI with modern styling.
• 🗂️ Easy to Run Locally — Perfect for learning or adapting to your own project.

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⚙️ Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express, Socket.IO
• Frontend: HTML, CSS, Vanilla JavaScript
• Environment: dotenv for config, CORS for local dev

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🚀 Getting Started

1️⃣ Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Zack-River/Winky_Chat_App.git
cd Winky_Chat_App

2️⃣ Install dependencies

npm install

3️⃣ Create a .env file (optional)

PORT=3000

4️⃣ Start the server

node index.js

5️⃣ Open the frontend

Serve your index.html file using Live Server or any local server.

Visit http://127.0.0.1:5500 (or your dev server URL) and join the chat!

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📌 To-Do / Ideas

• ✅ Basic real-time chat with usernames
• 🔒 User authentication & persistent sessions
• 💬 Emojis, media sharing, or message reactions
• 📱 Mobile responsive improvements
• 🌍 Deploy on Vercel, Heroku, or your VPS
• 🔐 Use HTTPS for production

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🤝 License

This project is free to use under the MIT License.

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Made with 💚 — Stay connected with just a Wink!