🕶️ ShadowChat — Real-Time Chat & Video Call App

ShadowChat is a secure, lightweight, and anonymous real-time chat & video communication platform built with Node.js, Express, and Socket.IO.
It supports text messaging with typing indicators and seen receipts, voice notes, media sharing (images, videos, PDFs), and peer-to-peer video calls using WebRTC. Rooms are ephemeral and limited to 2 users for privacy-focused, one-on-one conversations—no persistent data or user accounts required.

The client-side is built with vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript for a simple, framework-free experience.

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🚀 Features

• 💬 Real-time one-to-one text chat with typing indicators, timestamps, and "seen" status
• 📞 Peer-to-peer video & audio calls using WebRTC (with mute/unmute controls)
• 🎙️ Record and send voice notes directly in-browser
• 🖼️ Share images, videos, PDFs, and other media (up to 50MB)
• 🧠 Dynamic room management with random UUID or custom room IDs (shareable links)
• 🔒 Configurable CORS for secure signaling; no authentication needed for anonymity
• ⚡ Lightweight Express + Socket.IO backend for real-time events
• 🗂️ Static serving for uploaded media files

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🛠️ Tech Stack

Component	Technology
Backend Framework	Express.js
Real-time Communication	Socket.IO
Video / Voice Calls	WebRTC (Peer-to-Peer)
File Uploads	Multer
Server	Node.js
Client-Side	Vanilla HTML/CSS/JS
Storage	Local /Uploads folder

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⚙️ Setup Instructions

1️⃣ Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/sanusharma-ui/Chat.git
cd Chat

2️⃣ Install Dependencies

npm install

3️⃣ Environment Variables (Optional for Development, Required for Production)

Create a .env file in the root directory:

PORT=3000
ALLOWED_ORIGIN=https://shadowchat-3.onrender.com  # Set to your frontend domain for CORS security

4️⃣ Run the Server

node server.js

For development with auto-reload (install nodemon globally if needed: npm install -g nodemon):

nodemon server.js

The server will start on http://localhost:3000 (or your specified PORT). Open the URL in your browser to access the frontend (served from /public).

5️⃣ Project Structure

Chat/
├── server.js                # Express & Socket.IO backend logic
├── public/                  # Frontend static files (index.html, styles.css, client.js)
├── Uploads/
│   ├── voice_notes/         # Uploaded voice messages (auto-created)
│   └── media/               # Uploaded images, videos, PDFs (auto-created)
├── package.json
├── .env                     # Environment variables (gitignore this)
└── README.md

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🧩 Socket.IO Events

Event	Description
partnerId	Receives partner's socket ID
paired	Notifies when room has 2 users
waiting	Waiting for partner to join
message	Real-time chat message
fileMessage	Broadcast uploaded media or voice note
messageSeen	Indicates partner has seen a message
typing	Partner is typing indicator
webrtc-offer	Sends WebRTC offer to partner
webrtc-answer	Sends WebRTC answer
webrtc-ice-candidate	ICE candidate exchange
partnerLeft	Notifies that partner disconnected

🎯 API Endpoints

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/create-room	Create custom room (body: { roomId })
GET	/create-room	Create random room
POST	/upload-voice-note	Upload voice notes (multipart form)
POST	/upload-media	Upload images, videos, PDFs (multipart form)
GET	/uploads/*	Serve uploaded files statically

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💡 Usage Tips

• Create/Join Rooms: Use the frontend to generate/share room links. Rooms auto-clean when empty.
• Video Calls: Requires camera/mic permissions. Uses Google's public STUN servers (add TURN for production).
• Media Limits: Voice notes up to 15MB; media up to 50MB. Files are stored locally—consider cloud storage for scale.
• Deployment: Host on Render, Heroku, or Vercel. Set ALLOWED_ORIGIN to your domain. For HTTPS, ensure WebRTC works over secure connections.
• Browser Support: Best on Chrome/Firefox. Test WebRTC and MediaRecorder APIs.

🔍 Limitations & Future Enhancements

• Current Limits: In-memory room tracking (no DB); files persist on disk (add cleanup jobs).
• Security: Rooms are guessable—add passwords for sensitive use.
• ✅ Group chat & multi-user rooms
• 🔐 JWT or session-based authentication
• ☁️ Integrate cloud storage (e.g., AWS S3)
• 🧠 AI-powered features (e.g., moderation, summaries)
• 📱 Mobile-friendly React/Vue frontend

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💖 Author

👨‍💻 Sanu Sharma
🚀 IT Engineer | AI & Web Development Enthusiast

🪄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

“ShadowChat — Because real conversations deserve real connection.” 🖤