A real-time support chat application built with Express.js and Socket.IO. This boilerplate provides a complete foundation for building scalable chat applications with user authentication, real-time messaging, and a clean modular architecture.

• Real-time messaging with Socket.IO
• User authentication with JWT
• RESTful API with Express.js
• MongoDB integration with Mongoose
• Modular domain-driven architecture
• Request validation with Joi
• Comprehensive error handling
• Logging with Winston
• API documentation with Swagger
• Unit testing with Jest
• Docker support for MongoDB
• Chat widget for easy integration

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Real-time: Socket.IO
• Database: MongoDB with Mongoose
• Authentication: JWT, bcrypt
• Validation: Joi
• Testing: Jest, Supertest
• Documentation: Swagger/OpenAPI
• Logging: Winston
• Development: Nodemon

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/OwaliShawon/support-chat-express-socket-boilerplate.git
   cd support-chat-express-socket-boilerplate

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Set up environment variables Create a .env file in the root directory:

   NODE_ENV=development
   PORT=3000
   MONGODB_URI=mongodb://root:example@localhost:27017/support-chat?authSource=admin
   JWT_SECRET=your-jwt-secret-key

4. Start MongoDB with Docker

   cd docker/mongo-db
   docker-compose up -d

5. Start the development server

   npm run dev

The application will be available at http://localhost:3000

src/
├── app.js                 # Express app configuration
├── server.js             # Server setup with Socket.IO
├── routes.js             # Main route definitions
├── start.js              # Application entry point
├── configs/              # Configuration files
├── domains/              # Domain-driven modules
│   ├── auth/            # Authentication domain
│   ├── chat/            # Chat functionality
│   └── users/           # User management
├── libraries/           # Shared libraries
│   ├── db/             # Database connection
│   ├── error-handling/ # Error handling utilities
│   ├── log/            # Logging configuration
│   └── utils/          # Utility functions
├── middlewares/         # Express middlewares
├── socket/             # Socket.IO event handlers
│   ├── events/         # Socket event handlers
│   └── validators/     # Socket data validation
└── views/              # EJS templates

• POST /api/v1/auth/login - User login
• POST /api/v1/auth/register - User registration

• GET /api/v1/users - Get all users (admin only)
• GET /api/v1/users/:id - Get user by ID
• PUT /api/v1/users/:id - Update user
• DELETE /api/v1/users/:id - Delete user

• GET /health - Application health status

• GET /widget?name=YourName - Chat widget interface

• join_room - Join a chat room
• leave_room - Leave a chat room
• send_message - Send a message
• typing - Typing indicator

• receive_message - Receive a new message
• user_joined - User joined notification
• user_left - User left notification
• typing - Typing indicator broadcast
• validation_error - Data validation errors

Run the test suite:

# Run all tests
npm test

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

The API is documented using Swagger. Once the server is running, visit:

• Swagger UI: http://localhost:3000/api-docs (if configured)
• OpenAPI spec: Check swagger.yaml in the root directory

Start MongoDB and Mongo Express with Docker:

cd docker/mongo-db
docker-compose up -d

This will start:

• MongoDB on port 27017
• Mongo Express (web UI) on port 8081

# Start development server
npm run dev

# Create a new domain module
npm run create-domain

# Run tests
npm test

# Run tests in watch mode
npm run test:watch

This boilerplate follows a domain-driven design pattern:

• Domains: Self-contained modules (auth, chat, users)
• Libraries: Shared utilities and configurations
• Middlewares: Request processing layers
• Socket: Real-time communication handlers

Each domain contains:

• api.js - Controller logic
• service.js - Business logic
• routes.js - Route definitions
• dto.js - Data transfer objects
• schema.js - Database schemas (if applicable)

• JWT-based authentication
• Password hashing with bcrypt
• Request validation with Joi
• Helmet.js for security headers
• CORS configuration
• Input sanitization

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -am 'Add some feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature/your-feature
5. Submit a pull request

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

If you encounter any issues or have questions, please:

1. Check the existing issues on GitHub
2. Create a new issue with detailed information
3. Provide steps to reproduce any bugs

For a quick start with the chat widget:

1. Start the server: npm run dev
2. Visit: http://localhost:3000/widget?name=YourName
3. Open multiple tabs to test real-time messaging

Happy Coding! 🎉