Real-time features are everywhere - chat apps, live notifications, collaborative tools, live sports scores. Understanding how real-time communication works is essential for modern web developers.
This project teaches you WebSockets, which is different from regular HTTP requests. With HTTP, the client asks and the server answers. With WebSockets, both can send messages anytime, which is perfect for chat and live updates.
You'll learn how to manage connections, handle users joining and leaving, and keep everything synchronized across multiple users. These are skills you'll use in many real-world applications.
Create a multi-room chat system with WebSocket connections for real-time communication. This project introduces you to bidirectional communication between client and server, teaching you how to handle stateful connections and synchronize state across multiple clients.
You'll build both a server that manages WebSocket connections and a client interface that allows users to join rooms, send messages, and see who's online in real-time.
Understand WebSocket protocol and how it differs from HTTP
Manage stateful connections and handle disconnections gracefully
Synchronize state across multiple connected clients
Handle real-time events and emit messages to specific users or rooms
Persist chat history in a database
Build a responsive chat interface with React
WebSocket server using Socket.io
Multiple chat rooms that users can join and leave
Real-time message delivery to all users in a room
Display list of online users in current room
Store message history in MongoDB
Load previous messages when joining a room (last 50 messages)
Show typing indicators when someone is typing
Display timestamps for each message
Handle user disconnections and reconnections
Room selection screen showing available rooms
Chat interface with message list, input field, and online users sidebar
Auto-scroll to newest messages unless user has scrolled up
Visual distinction between own messages and others' messages
Show system messages (user joined, user left)
Responsive design that works on mobile and desktop
connection - Handle new user connection
join_room - User joins a specific room
leave_room - User leaves current room
send_message - User sends a message to room
typing_start - User starts typing
typing_stop - User stops typing
disconnect - Handle user disconnection
get_room_users - Retrieve list of users in room
Manage socket connections in server memory (Map or object)
Handle race conditions when multiple users join/leave simultaneously
Implement debouncing for typing indicators
Ensure messages are delivered in correct order
Clean up resources when users disconnect
Handle reconnection logic on client side
Prevent duplicate message delivery
Message: id, roomId, username, text, timestamp
Room: id, name, createdAt (can be hardcoded or dynamic)
User session: socketId, username, currentRoom, joinedAt
Allow users to create new rooms dynamically
Add message reactions (thumbs up, heart, etc.)
Implement direct messaging between users
Add file/image sharing capability
Show "read receipts" or "delivered" status
Add username mentions with @ symbol
Implement message editing and deletion
Socket.io Basics: Official Socket.io documentation at socket.io. Start with the "Get Started" guide.
WebSocket vs HTTP: Search for "WebSocket explanation" or "real-time web explained". Understanding the difference is important.
React with Socket.io: Look for tutorials on "React Socket.io integration" or "useEffect with Socket.io".
Event Handling: Socket.io uses events. Read about emit() and on() methods in the docs.
Room Management: Socket.io rooms documentation shows how to group users together.
Socket.io Basics: Official Socket.io documentation at socket.io. Start with the "Get Started" guide.
WebSocket vs HTTP: Search for "WebSocket explanation" or "real-time web explained". Understanding the difference is important.
React with Socket.io: Look for tutorials on "React Socket.io integration" or "useEffect with Socket.io".
Event Handling: Socket.io uses events. Read about emit() and on() methods in the docs.
Room Management: Socket.io rooms documentation shows how to group users together.
Multiple users can chat in the same room simultaneously
Messages appear instantly for all users in the room
Online users list updates in real-time
Previous messages load when joining a room
Application handles disconnections without crashing
Typing indicators work smoothly without lag
No messages are lost during normal operation
Study Socket.io documentation and event handling patterns
Research WebSocket vs HTTP long-polling
Look into React hooks for managing WebSocket connections
Explore patterns for handling real-time state updates
Learn about debouncing and throttling for performance
Hint: Start with the simplest version first - a single room where users can send messages. Get that working perfectly before adding features like multiple rooms, typing indicators, and message persistence.
Use useEffect to establish the Socket.io connection when the component mounts, and clean it up when it unmounts. Remember to handle the case where a user closes the browser tab suddenly.
Submit Your Project
Once you've completed this project, submit your GitHub repository link below: