🚀 Msgbits Backend - Real-Time Chat Server

A robust, scalable backend server for the Msgbits real-time messaging platform, built with Express.js and TypeScript. Features secure communication, distributed processing, comprehensive logging, and efficient file handling.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Demo
• Screenshots
• Tech Stack
• Architecture
• Installation
• Development
• Deployment
• API Documentation
• Contributing
• License
• Support

Features

Core Backend Features

• Real-Time Communication

  • Socket.IO with Redis adapter for scalable real-time messaging
  • WebRTC signaling server for audio/video calls
  • Message queuing with BullMQ for reliable message delivery
  • Real-time user status tracking

• File Management

  • Secure file uploads with chunked streaming
  • On-the-fly file encryption/decryption
  • Support for EC2 filesystem and S3 storage
  • Efficient media handling

• Authentication & Security

  • JWT-based authentication
  • OAuth integration (Google, Facebook, GitHub)
  • Email verification with Nodemailer
  • Rate limiting and request validation

• Logging & Monitoring

  • Comprehensive logging with Winston and Morgan
  • Production logs stored in both filesystem and database
  • Request tracking and error monitoring

🚀 Demo

Experience the application live at: Live Demo

📷 Screenshots

Landing Page

Clean, modern landing page showcasing key features and user benefits

Authentication

Secure login interface with multiple authentication options and OTP verification

Chat Interface

Feature-rich chat interface with intuitive navigation and real-time status updates

Video Call

High-quality video conferencing with up to 4 participants and easy-to-use controls

File Sharing

Comprehensive file sharing interface with image preview, shared media gallery, and chat room details panel

Group Chat Administration

Advanced group management interface with member controls and admin privileges

Group Chat Interface

Real-time group chat interface with member list and shared media gallery

Theme Customization

Four distinct theme options for personalized user experience

Scalability Features

• Distributed Architecture

  • Stateless server design using Redis for temporary state
  • MongoDB for persistent data storage
  • Node.js cluster support for horizontal scaling

• Performance Optimization

  • Redis caching layer
  • Efficient database queries
  • Optimized file streaming
  • Message broker for async operations

Tech Stack

• Core Framework: Express.js, TypeScript
• Database: MongoDB
• Caching: Redis
• Message Queue: BullMQ
• File Processing: Busboy
• Email Service: Nodemailer
• Documentation: Swagger
• Logging: Winston, Morgan
• Validation: Zod
• Real-time: Socket.IO

Architecture

                                 ┌─────────────┐
                                 │   Client    │
                                 └──────┬──────┘
                                        │
                                 ┌──────▼──────┐
                                 │Load Balancer│
                                 └──────┬──────┘
                                        │
                    ┌──────────────────┬┴┬──────────────────┐
                    │                  │ │                  │
              ┌─────▼────┐      ┌─────▼─▼────┐      ┌─────▼────┐
              │ Express.js│      │ Express.js │      │ Express.js│
              │  Server   │      │  Server    │      │  Server   │
              └─────┬────┘      └─────┬──────┘      └─────┬────┘
                    │                 │                    │
        ┌──────────┴─────────────────┼────────────────────┴──────────┐
        │                            │                               │
   ┌────▼────┐                 ┌─────▼─────┐                   ┌────▼────┐
   │  Redis  │                 │  MongoDB  │                   │   S3    │
   └─────────┘                 └───────────┘                   └─────────┘

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/kr-ashwani/msgbits_backend.git
cd msgbits-backend

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Create .env file:

MONGODB_URI_PROD = mongodb_prod_uri
MONGODB_URI_DEV = mongodb_dev_uri
NODE_ENV = node_environment
MONGODB_URI_LOG = mongodb_log_uri

REDIS_PORT = redis_port
REDIS_HOST = redis_host

REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET_KEY_PROD = prod_refresh_token
REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET_KEY_DEV = dev_refresh_token
REFRESH_TOKEN_EXP_TIME = refresh_token_exp_time

SMTP_SERVICE = smtp_service
SMTP_PORT = smtp_port
SMTP_SECURE = smtp_secure
SMTP_USER = smtp_user
SMTP_PASS = smtp_password

CLIENT_URL = client_url
SELF_URL = self_url
GITHUB_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID = github_oauth_client_id
GITHUB_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET = github_oauth_client_id
REDIRECT_CLIENT_URL = client_redirect_url
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID = google_oauth_client_id


UPLOAD_FILES_TO_S3 = upload_to_s3

AWS_REGION = aws_region
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID = aws_access_key
AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY = aws_secret_key
S3_BUCKET = s3_bucket

ENCRYPTION_KEY = enc_key

SOCKETUI_USERNAME = socket_ui_username
SOCKETUI_PASSWORD = socket_ui_password

4. Start development server:

npm run dev

Development

Directory Structure

src/
├── config/          # Configuration files
├── controllers/     # Route controllers
├── middleware/      # Custom middleware
├── models/         # Database models
├── routes/         # API routes
├── services/       # Business logic
├── utils/          # Utility functions
└── validators/     # Zod schemas

Best Practices

• Use TypeScript strict mode
• Implement proper error handling
• Write comprehensive tests
• Follow consistent coding style
• Document API endpoints
• Log important events

Deployment

Continuous Integration/Deployment

The application uses GitHub Actions for automated deployment to EC2:

1. On push to main branch:

   • Build is triggered
   • Tests are run
   • Docker image is created and pushed to registry
   • New image is deployed to EC2

2. Production Environment:

   • Running on EC2 instance
   • Redis container for caching and session management
   • Environment variables loaded from production config
   • Automated SSL certificate renewal

3. Monitoring:

   • Application logs stored on EC2 and database
   • Error tracking and alerting
   • Resource utilization monitoring

Scaling Strategy

• Horizontal scaling using Node.js cluster
• Redis for session storage across instances
• Load balancer distribution
• Auto-scaling based on metrics

API Documentation

API documentation available at /api-docs when running the server, featuring:

• Complete endpoint documentation
• Request/response schemas
• Authentication details
• Example requests
• Error responses

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
3. Commit changes (git commit -m 'Add AmazingFeature')
4. Push to branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
5. Open Pull Request

License

MIT

Support

• Email: support@msgbits.com
• Discord: Join our community