ByteTalk

ByteTalk is a real-time chat application that supports global and private messaging, designed with scalability and microservice architecture in mind. It features a Java-based backend and a React/Tailwind frontend. ByteTalk uses Redis for pub/sub communication and caching, and supports both in-memory and MongoDB storage for flexible and efficient message persistence.

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Tech Stack

Backend

• Java
• Netty
• WebSocket
• Redis
• MongoDB
• JWT for authentication
• JUnit & Testcontainers
• GitHub Actions CI/CD
• Docker

Frontend

• React 19 (with Hooks)
• Vite
• JavaScript (ES6+)
• Tailwind CSS
• React Router v7
• Formik & Yup (for form handling and validation)
• React-Hot-Toast (for user notifications)
• React-Textarea-Autosize (chat input)
• React-Window (virtualized message list)
• 😃 emoji-picker-react (for emoji selection)

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Features

• Global Chat: Broadcast messages to all connected users.
• Private Chat: One‑to‑one direct messaging.
• Microservice Sync: Redis Pub/Sub is used for real-time synchronization and message broadcasting across microservices.
• Authentication: Secure login/signup via JWT and password hashing (SHA256).
• Configurable Storage: Supports both in‑memory (for development) and MongoDB (for production)
• Automated Testing: Unit and integration tests with JUnit and Testcontainers.

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Installation & Local Development

1. Prerequisites

   • Java 21
   • Node.js ≥16

2. Clone the repo

   git clone https://github.com/teixayo/ByteTalk.git
   cd ByteTalk

3. Backend Setup

   ./gradlew shadowJar
   java -jar backend/build/libs/backend-1.0-SNAPSHOT-ByteTalk.jar

4. Frontend Setup

   cd frontend
   npm install
   npm run dev

5. Access the App
   Open http://localhost:5173 (or your configured frontend port) in your browser.

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Configuration

See the Configuration Guide for environment variables, Redis/MongoDB setup, port settings, and storage options.

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Testing

• Unit Tests: JUnit (backend)
• Integration Tests: JUnit + Testcontainers (spins up temporary Redis & MongoDB)
• Run all tests with:

  ./gradlew test

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Roadmap & Future Plans

• Chain Encryption: End‑to‑end encryption for all messages.
• Media Support: Camera, voice messages with encryption.
• P2P Mode: Direct, decentralized peer‑to‑peer connections.

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Contributors

• Backend: Ali Nikbakht
• Frontend: Adel Nouri

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📄 License

GPL License

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