This repository demonstrates how to set up Stream Chat with Elasticsearch for advanced full-text search and indexing. It includes:

1. A Node.js server (server.js) that listens for Stream webhooks and indexes new messages into Elasticsearch.
2. A test script (sendTestMessage.mjs) that uses Stream’s server-side authentication to create channels and send messages (triggering the webhook).

.
├─ .env
├─ package.json
├─ server.js                # Node.js (Express) server handling webhooks
├─ sendTestMessage.mjs      # Script to send test messages via server-side auth
└─ README.md

1. Node.js (v14 or later).
2. A Stream Chat account:
   • Sign up here if you don’t have one.
   • Create a Chat app in the Stream dashboard and note your API Key and API Secret.
3. Elasticsearch:
   • Either run locally (e.g., Docker) or use a hosted Elasticsearch service.
4. (Optional) Kibana to visualize indexed data.

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/<YOUR_USERNAME>/stream-chat-elasticsearch.git
   cd stream-chat-elasticsearch

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Create a .env file at the project root:

   touch .env

   With content similar to:

   STREAM_API_KEY=<YOUR_STREAM_API_KEY>
   STREAM_API_SECRET=<YOUR_STREAM_API_SECRET>
   
   # Elasticsearch node
   ELASTICSEARCH_NODE=http://localhost:9200
   # If your ES requires auth:
   ELASTICSEARCH_USERNAME=elastic
   ELASTICSEARCH_PASSWORD=<YOUR_ELASTIC_PASSWORD>
   
   # Local server port
   PORT=3000

4. Run Elasticsearch (Example Docker command):

   docker run -d -p 9200:9200 -p 9300:9300 \
     -e "discovery.type=single-node" \
     -e "xpack.security.enabled=false" \
     -e "ES_JAVA_OPTS=-Xms512m -Xmx512m" \
     --name es-dev \
     docker.elastic.co/elasticsearch/elasticsearch:8.10.2

5. (Optional) Run Kibana:

   docker run -d -p 5601:5601 \
     --name kibana-dev \
     --link es-dev:elasticsearch \
     docker.elastic.co/kibana/kibana:8.10.2

The server.js file:

• Listens on PORT (default 3000).
• Has a POST /stream-webhook route that receives Stream Chat events.
• Indexes message.new events into the stream-chat index in Elasticsearch.

npm start

You should see logs like:

Elasticsearch connected
Stream server client initialized.
Server listening on port 3000

Stream needs a public URL to call your /stream-webhook. For local development, use ngrok:

ngrok http 3000

Copy the Forwarding URL (e.g., https://abc123.ngrok.io) and configure it in your Stream dashboard under Events & Webhooks, appending /stream-webhook.

Use sendTestMessage.mjs to create a channel and send a message in server mode:

node sendTestMessage.mjs

Expected output:

✅ Message sent successfully! { ... }

• This triggers Stream’s message.new event, calling your webhook (/stream-webhook).
• The server logs: “Webhook event type: message.new” and “Indexed message to Elasticsearch”.

• Using cURL (PowerShell on Windows, use curl.exe):

  curl.exe -X GET "http://localhost:9200/stream-chat/_search?pretty"

  You’ll get JSON hits for indexed messages.

1. Nothing logs in server.js:

   • Make sure your webhook URL is public (using ngrok or a deployed server).
   • Confirm the path exactly matches /stream-webhook in your Stream dashboard.

2. “Either client.connectUser wasn’t called…”

   • Ensure STREAM_API_SECRET is loaded (not undefined). The library uses server mode only if it finds a valid secret.

3. “Either data.created_by or data.created_by_id must be provided…”

   • If you call channel.create() in server mode, include created_by_id: 'tester' (or similar) in the channel data object.

4. PowerShell “parameter cannot be found ‘-X’”

   • Use curl.exe or run commands in Git Bash / WSL to properly handle cURL flags.

Feel free to clone and extend. For feature requests or bug reports, open an issue.

Enjoy building your real-time, searchable chat! If you found this helpful, consider starring the repo and sharing your feedback.