🚀 Drift Chat - Disposable Chat Rooms

A lightweight, real-time chat application that creates temporary chat rooms for instant communication. Perfect for quick conversations, team collaboration, or ephemeral discussions.

📱 CLI Version Available!

Install the terminal-based client for command-line chatting:

npm install -g drift-chat-cli

Then run: drift-chat

Features:

• Chat with web users from your terminal
• Create and join rooms using the same codes
• Beautiful colored interface
• Real-time messaging
• Cross-platform support

✨ Features

• Instant Room Creation: Generate unique chat rooms with 6-character codes
• Real-Time Messaging: WebSocket-based instant messaging
• Multi-Room Support: Join and manage multiple chat rooms simultaneously
• Auto-Join URLs: Share direct links to rooms for seamless joining
• Disposable Rooms: Rooms automatically clean up when empty
• No Registration Required: Jump in with just a nickname
• Mobile Responsive: Works seamlessly across devices
• Cute Auto-Generated Names: Automatic nickname generation for quick access

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn
• Docker (optional, for containerized deployment)

Local Development

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/abhinav162/drift
   cd drift

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Start the development server

   npm run dev

4. Open your browser

   http://localhost:3000

Production Deployment

Docker Deployment (Recommended)

1. Build and run with Docker Compose

   docker-compose up -d --build

2. Check deployment status

   docker-compose ps
   docker-compose logs -f drift-chat

Manual Deployment

1. Install dependencies

   npm ci --only=production

2. Start the server

   npm start

🏗️ Architecture

Backend (server.js)

• WebSocket Server: Real-time bidirectional communication
• HTTP Server: Serves static files and handles HTTP requests
• Room Management: In-memory room storage with automatic cleanup
• Message Broadcasting: Efficient message distribution to room participants

Frontend (public/)

• Single Page Application: Vanilla JavaScript with modern ES6+ features
• WebSocket Client: Real-time communication with the server
• Responsive UI: Mobile-first design with CSS Grid/Flexbox
• State Management: Client-side room and message management

Key Components

├── server.js              # Main server application
├── public/
│   ├── index.html         # Main HTML template
│   ├── script.js          # Client-side JavaScript
│   └── style.css          # Application styles
├── Dockerfile             # Container configuration
├── docker-compose.yml     # Multi-container setup
├── nginx.conf            # Reverse proxy configuration
└── deploy.sh             # Deployment automation script

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables

Docker Configuration

The application runs on port 3000 inside the container and is mapped to port 3150 on the host for production deployment.

Nginx Reverse Proxy

The included nginx.conf provides:

• SSL termination with Let's Encrypt
• WebSocket proxy support
• Proper headers for real-time communication
• HTTP to HTTPS redirection

📡 API Reference

WebSocket Messages

Client to Server

Create Room

{
  "type": "create_room"
}

Join Room

{
  "type": "join_room",
  "roomCode": "ABC123",
  "nickname": "UserName"
}

Send Message

{
  "type": "send_message",
  "roomCode": "ABC123",
  "message": "Hello, world!"
}

Server to Client

Room Created

{
  "type": "room_created",
  "roomCode": "ABC123"
}

Room Joined

{
  "type": "joined_room",
  "roomCode": "ABC123",
  "messages": [...]
}

New Message

{
  "type": "message",
  "nickname": "UserName",
  "message": "Hello, world!",
  "roomCode": "ABC123",
  "timestamp": 1234567890123
}

User Events

{
  "type": "user_joined",
  "nickname": "UserName",
  "timestamp": 1234567890123
}

Error

{
  "type": "error",
  "message": "Room not found"
}

🔒 Security Features

• Input Sanitization: HTML escaping for all user-generated content
• Room Code Validation: Uppercase alphanumeric room codes
• WebSocket Origin Validation: Protocol-based connection security
• No Data Persistence: Messages exist only in memory during room lifetime
• Automatic Cleanup: Rooms are deleted when all users leave

📱 Usage

Creating a Room

1. Enter a nickname
2. Click "Create Room"
3. Share the generated room code or URL

Joining a Room

1. Enter a nickname
2. Click "Join Room"
3. Enter the 6-character room code
4. Start chatting!

Auto-Join via URL

Share URLs in the format: https://your-domain.com/?room=ABC123

Users clicking this link will:

• Get an auto-generated cute nickname
• Automatically join the specified room
• Start chatting immediately

🛠️ Development

Project Structure

disposable-chat-project/
├── server.js              # Express + WebSocket server
├── public/
│   ├── index.html         # Main application UI
│   ├── script.js          # Client-side logic
│   └── style.css          # Styling
├── package.json           # Dependencies and scripts
├── Dockerfile             # Container build instructions
├── docker-compose.yml     # Service orchestration
├── nginx.conf            # Reverse proxy config
└── deploy.sh             # Deployment automation

Adding New Features

1. Server-side changes: Modify server.js for new WebSocket message types
2. Client-side changes: Update public/script.js for new UI functionality
3. Styling: Edit public/style.css for visual changes

Running Tests

Currently, the project doesn't include automated tests. Consider adding:

• Unit tests for server logic
• Integration tests for WebSocket communication
• End-to-end tests for user workflows

🚀 Deployment Options

Option 1: Docker Compose (Recommended)

./deploy.sh

Option 2: Docker Hub

docker build -t drift-chat .
docker run -p 3150:3000 drift-chat

Option 3: Cloud Platforms

• Heroku: Use the included Dockerfile
• Railway: Direct deployment from Git
• DigitalOcean App Platform: Container-based deployment
• AWS ECS/Fargate: Container orchestration

Option 4: VPS with Nginx

1. Clone repository to server
2. Run ./deploy.sh
3. Configure nginx with provided nginx.conf
4. Set up SSL with Let's Encrypt

🔧 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

WebSocket Connection Failed

• Check if the server is running on the correct port
• Verify firewall settings allow WebSocket connections
• Ensure nginx proxy configuration for WebSocket upgrade headers

Room Not Found Error

• Room codes are case-sensitive and expire when empty
• Verify the room code is correctly entered
• Check if the room was recently created and still active

Docker Deployment Issues

• Ensure Docker and Docker Compose are installed
• Check port conflicts (3150 should be available)
• Review container logs: docker-compose logs drift-chat

Logs and Monitoring

Docker Logs

docker-compose logs -f drift-chat

Server Logs

• Connection events
• Room creation/deletion
• Error messages

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test thoroughly
5. Submit a pull request

Code Style

• Use modern JavaScript (ES6+)
• Follow existing naming conventions
• Add comments for complex logic
• Ensure responsive design

📄 License

This project is open source. Please check the repository for specific license terms.

🎯 Roadmap

• Message persistence options
• File sharing capabilities
• Room passwords/privacy settings
• User typing indicators
• Message reactions/emojis
• Room member list
• Message search functionality
• Custom themes
• Mobile app versions

📞 Support

For issues, feature requests, or questions:

• Create an issue in the repository
• Check existing documentation
• Review troubleshooting section

Drift Chat - Simple, fast, disposable chat rooms for the modern web.