openBuilt DevChat: A Real-Time Messaging App for Developers (Open Source)

Luqman Shaban
2 min readSep 24, 2024

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Over the past two weeks, I embarked on an exciting journey to build DevChat, a real-time messaging app specifically for developers. The goals were simple: learn WebSockets, create a messaging app, and make it open-source.

1.Frontend

I went with React + Vite for the frontend, ditching Next.js to keep things simple. For styling, Tailwind CSS and Daisy UI were life savers, and I used React Router for smooth navigation between user authentication, chat, and profiles. State management was handled by **Zustand** — super easy to set up!

2.Backend

I built the backend with Node.js + Express and used MongoDB with Mongoose for database management. Real-time communication was powered by Socket.io. The biggest challenge? Designing a schema to handle lots of messages without compromising performance. JWT handled user auth, and I avoided Firebase to focus on learning WebSockets.

3.Deployment

The client is deployed on Vercel, and the server on Render, with auto-deployments from GitHub keeping everything smooth. Got my domain from Hostinger, and Vercel made setup easy.

4.Key Takeaways

1. Real-time systems are complex but fascinating.
2. Socket.io is powerful, but scalability is key.
3. Tailwind and Daisy UI are major time-savers for styling.
4. Deployment automation is a game-changer for maintaining projects.

The best part? DevChat is open source, and I’m excited to see where the community takes it. Check it out and feel free to contribute!

Links:
- Site
- Repository

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Luqman Shaban

Founder & CEO at wrenify.com, I specialize in creating custom software solutions that drive innovation and efficiency for small businesses.