🟢 Direct Backend – Real-Time Chat API

This is the backend API for the Direct real-time chat application. Built with Express.js, TypeScript, Prisma, and Socket.IO, it provides a robust, scalable, and maintainable architecture for real-time messaging, user management, and media uploads.

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⚡ Features

• 👤 User Management

  • Sign up / Login / Authentication
  • Get current user (me)
  • Get user by ID
  • Update user profile (name, avatar, bio)
  • Change password with validation

• 💬 Chat Management

  • Create new chats / Group chats
  • Join & leave chats via invite code
  • Get chat by ID
  • Fetch all user chats

• ✏️ Message Handling

  • Send, edit, delete messages
  • Pagination support for chat messages
  • Total count & optimized fetching

• 📦 Real-Time Communication

  • Socket.IO integration for live messaging
  • Real-time updates for edits, deletions, and new messages

• 🖼️ Media & Uploads

  • Upload files/images via Cloudinary
  • Avatar & chat media handling

• 🔒 Security & Validation

  • JWT-based authentication
  • Input validation with Zod
  • Centralized error handling middleware

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🧰 Tech Stack

• Node.js & Express.js – Backend framework
• TypeScript – Type safety and better developer experience
• Prisma ORM – Database access and migrations
• PostgreSQL – Relational database (via Prisma adapter)
• Socket.IO – Real-time bi-directional communication
• Cloudinary – Image and file uploads
• Bcrypt – Password hashing
• JWT – Authentication & authorization
• Zod – Schema validation
• Nodemon & ts-node-dev – Development hot-reloading

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🚀 Getting Started

1️⃣ Clone repository

git clone https://github.com/m-mohammad-d/direct-backend.git
cd direct-backend

2️⃣ Install dependencies

npm install

3️⃣ Configure environment

Create a .env file in the root directory:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/direct
JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME=your_cloud_name
CLOUDINARY_API_KEY=your_api_key
CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET=your_api_secret

4️⃣ Setup Prisma & Database

npx prisma migrate dev --name init
npx prisma generate

5️⃣ Run in development

npm run dev

Server will start on http://localhost:3000 (default) and hot-reload on changes.

6️⃣ Build for production

npm run build
npm start

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💡 Development Notes

• All modules are modularized for maintainability.
• Socket.IO allows real-time updates for messages, edits, and deletions.
• Zod ensures strong validation for all requests.
• Prisma ensures type-safe database access and migrations.
• Cloudinary integration allows secure media handling.
• Centralized error handling middleware provides consistent API responses.