A real-time anonymous group chat application with a modern, responsive UI, privacy-focused design, and dynamic background customization.

• Real-time Messaging: Powered by Socket.io for instant message delivery and updates.
• Anonymous User Profiles: Automatically generates random usernames and avatars using DiceBear API, ensuring user anonymity.
• Dynamic Backgrounds: Offers customizable backgrounds with a mix of curated static images and dynamic fetching from the Unsplash API for virtually unlimited options.
• Collapsible Active Users Sidebar: Displays online users with avatars and status indicators, toggleable on both mobile and desktop for a streamlined experience.
• Typing Indicators: Shows when other users are typing, enhancing real-time interaction.
• Message Persistence: Stores chat history in MongoDB with date-based grouping (e.g., "Today," "Yesterday") for easy navigation.
• Spam Protection: Enforces a 255-character limit per message and validates content to prevent spam or harmful messages.
• Modern UI: Responsive design with left/right message bubbles, TailwindCSS styling, and smooth animations via Framer Motion.
• Emoji Support: Integrated emoji picker for expressive messaging.
• Infinite Scroll: Loads older messages on demand with a smooth scrolling experience.
• Community Guidelines: Displays rules on first use to promote respectful interactions.
• Timestamps: Messages include formatted timestamps (e.g., "3:45 PM") for clarity.
• Privacy Focused: No personal data collection, anonymous user IDs, and messages stored for only 30 days.
• Error Handling: Displays temporary error messages for connection issues or invalid inputs without disrupting the chat.
• Notification Sounds: Plays a subtle sound for incoming messages from other users.
• Background Cycling: Allows users to cycle through backgrounds with a single click, enhancing personalization.

• React: Component-based UI with hooks for state management.
• Vite: Fast build tool for development and production.
• TailwindCSS: Utility-first CSS for responsive styling.
• Socket.io-client: Real-time communication with the server.
• Framer Motion: Smooth animations for UI elements (e.g., sidebar, messages).
• Emoji Picker React: Emoji selection for messages.
• date-fns: Date formatting for message timestamps.

• Node.js: Server-side runtime environment.
• Express: Web framework for API endpoints.
• Socket.io: Real-time WebSocket communication.
• MongoDB: NoSQL database for message persistence.

• MongoDB: Stores chat messages and user sessions with a 30-day retention policy.

Ensure you have the following installed:

• Node.js (v16 or higher recommended)
• MongoDB (local or Atlas)
• npm or yarn

1. Clone the Repository

     git clone https://github.com/mahmud-r-farhan/AnonyChat
     cd AnonyChat ```
   
   
   

2. Install Dependencies

   cd server && npm install
   cd ../client && npm install

3. Create Environment Variables

   • In the server directory, create a .env file:

     env

     MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
     PORT=5007
     

   • In the client directory, create a .env file:

     env

     VITE_API_URL=http://localhost:5007
     

     • Use MongoDB Atlas or a local MongoDB instance for MONGO_URI.

4. Run the Application

   bash

   # Start the server
   cd server && npm start
   
   # Start the client (in a new terminal)
   cd client && npm run dev

5. Access the App Open your browser and go to http://localhost:5173/ (or the port shown in the client terminal).

This project is licensed under the MIT License (LICENSE). Feel free to use, modify, and distribute it as needed.

For issues, suggestions, or questions, open an issue on GitHub or contact me at [email protected].