This is a demo project to experiment with WebSockets technology over the MEAN stack. It makes use of socket.io, a library that simplifies the use of WebSockets over node.js and the client, which is built with AngularJS.

In order to run this project you have to have installed node.js and npm. Once you have them, follow these steps:

1. Clone this repo :D
2. Open a terminal on the root folder of this project.
3. Run npm install. This must be done the first time only, in order to install the dependencies of the project.
4. Run gulp in order to compile the front-end
5. Run npm start in order to launch the server on port 3000. Alternatively, you can also use node server.js.

Chatsockets is a completely open chat, so every message sent will be seen by all the people who are connected by the moment the message is received on the server. However, these messages aren't stored, so they will be completely lost once all the people who received them get disconnected.

There are no user accounts; every user is given a random nickname every time he or she reloads the page.

Definitely NOT. Chatsockets is a little prototype developed for learning purposes. It's focused on how websockets work, so there is no security here. All messages are sent as plain text and can be seen by anyone who is in the chat room.

If you have any suggestions, find any bugs or just want to tell me how this wonderful project solved all your life's problems, drop me an email at [email protected]. If you prefer, you can also open an issue on this repo. I will respond any of them as soon as I can.

Have fun with this project!