🚀 Chatzy – Real-Time Chat Application

Chatzy is a real-time chat platform that enables users to send messages, share images, and engage with an AI-powered chatbot. Built with the MERN stack, Socket.io, and Docker, it offers secure OTP authentication, user search, online status filtering, and customizable themes (32+ options) for a seamless experience.

🔗 Live Demo: Chatzy
📂 Source Code: GitHub
🐳 Docker Hub: suyash310

✨ Features

• 💬 Real-Time Messaging – Instant text & image sharing via Socket.io.
• 🤖 AI Chatbot – Integrated Gemini API for interactive conversations.
• 🔍 User Search & Filters – Find users and filter by online status.
• 🔒 Secure Authentication – OTP-based verification for enhanced security.
• 🌆 Media Uploads – Users can update/delete profile images via Cloudinary.
• 🎨 Customization – Choose from 32+ themes with Daisy UI & TailwindCSS.
• 🐳 Containerized with Docker – Ensures scalability and efficient deployment.

🛠 Tech Stack

• Frontend: React.js, TailwindCSS, Daisy UI
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB, Brevo-api
• Real-Time Communication: Socket.io
• Authentication: OTP Verification
• AI Integration: Gemini API
• Media Management: Cloudinary
• Deployment: Docker, Render

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🚀 Installation & Setup

Choose one of the following methods based on your needs:

📋 Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher) - Required for Method 1
• Docker & Docker Compose - Required for Methods 2 & 3
• MongoDB - Local installation or MongoDB Atlas account
• Cloudinary Account - For image uploads
• Brevo Account - For OTP email delivery
• Google Gemini API Key - For AI chatbot

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Method 1: 🖥️ Local Development (without Docker)

Best for: Active development and debugging

Setup Steps

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/EcstaticFly/Chatzy.git
cd Chatzy

2. Setup Server

cd server
npm install

# Create .env file
touch .env

3. Configure server/.env

MONGODB_URL=your_mongodb_url
CORS_ORIGIN=your_cors_origin
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
NODE_ENV=development
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret
MAIL_USER=your_mail_to_send_otp
BREVO_API_KEY=your_brevo_api_key
CHATBOT_API_KEY=your_gemini_chatbot_api_key

4. Setup Client

cd ../client
npm install

5. Start the Application

Open two terminal windows:

Terminal 1 - Start Server:

cd server
npm run dev

Terminal 2 - Start Client:

cd client
npm run dev

6. Access the Application

• Client: http://localhost:5173
• Server API: http://localhost:5000

Stop the Application

• Press Ctrl + C in both terminal windows

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Method 2: 🐳 Local Docker Development

Best for: Testing in containerized environment with source code access

Setup Steps

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/EcstaticFly/Chatzy.git
cd Chatzy

2. Configure Environment

cd server
touch .env

3. Configure server/.env

MONGODB_URL=your_mongodb_url
CORS_ORIGIN=your_cors_origin
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
NODE_ENV=development
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret
MAIL_USER=your_mail_to_send_otp
BREVO_API_KEY=your_brevo_api_key
CHATBOT_API_KEY=your_gemini_chatbot_api_key

4. Build and Start Containers

cd ..  # Back to root directory
docker compose up --build

Or run in detached mode (background):

docker compose up --build -d

if already built once:

docker compose up -d

5. Access the Application

• Client: http://localhost:5173
• Server API: http://localhost:5000
• MongoDB: localhost:27017

Stop Containers

# Stop and remove containers (keeps data)
docker compose down

# Stop and remove containers + volumes (deletes data)
docker compose down -v

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Method 3: 🚀 Production Deployment (Pre-built Images)

Best for: Quick deployment without source code, production environments

Setup Steps

1. Download Production Compose File (docker-compose.prod.yaml): Download

# Create a directory
mkdir chatzy-app
cd chatzy-app

# Create docker-compose.prod.yaml inside this folder

2. Create Environment Configuration

mkdir server
cd server
touch .env

3. Configure server/.env

MONGODB_URL=your_mongodb_url
CORS_ORIGIN=your_cors_origin
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
NODE_ENV=development
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloudinary_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_cloudinary_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_cloudinary_api_secret
MAIL_USER=your_mail_to_send_otp
BREVO_API_KEY=your_brevo_api_key
CHATBOT_API_KEY=your_gemini_chatbot_api_key

4. Pull and Start Containers

cd ..  # Back to root directory
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yaml up -d

5. Access the Application

• Client: http://localhost:5173
• Server API: http://localhost:5000

Stop Containers

# Stop and remove containers (keeps data)
docker compose down

# Stop and remove containers + volumes (deletes data)
docker compose down -v

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions, issues, and feature requests are welcome!
Feel free to fork the repo and submit a pull request.

📜 License

This project is licensed under the GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE v3.

📬 Contact

For inquiries, reach out to me at Suyash Pandey.