Real-Time Chat Platform

A modern real-time chat application built with WebSockets, supporting multiple rooms, typing indicators, and optional end-to-end encryption.

Features

• Instant messaging — Messages delivered in under 50ms
• Chat rooms — Create public or private rooms with invite links
• Typing indicators — See when others are composing messages
• End-to-end encryption — Optional E2EE using the Signal Protocol
• Message history — Paginated history with full-text search

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React with TypeScript and a custom design system
• Backend: Node.js with the ws WebSocket library
• Database: PostgreSQL for persistence, Redis for pub/sub
• Encryption: libsignal-protocol-javascript

Challenges

The biggest challenge was implementing reliable message ordering across distributed WebSocket connections. I solved this using vector clocks and a conflict resolution strategy inspired by CRDTs.

What I Learned

This project taught me the nuances of real-time systems — connection management, reconnection strategies, and the importance of optimistic UI updates for perceived performance.