Chatterbox

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(Note: Hosted on Render's free tier, so it may load slowly at first or become inactive over time.)

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Chatterbox is a lightweight, real-time chat application designed for seamless and reliable communication. Users can easily register, log in, and exchange messages in a secure and efficient environment.

Built using modern technologies, Chatterbox delivers stable performance and real-time functionality while maintaining simplicity and ease of use. Its intuitive design focuses on essential features, ensuring quick deployment and straightforward maintenance, making it an ideal solution for various scenarios.

(Note: ChatterBox is a personal hobby project developed in spare time. It is currently in its early stages, serving as a preliminary version designed for learning and experimentation, with many features still under development.)

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📚 Table of Contents

1. 🌟 Features
2. 🛠️ Technologies Used
3. 📦 Installation
   • Prerequisites
   • Method 1: Docker Setup (Recommended)
   • Method 2: Local Setup (Without Docker)
   • Method 3: Devcontainer Setup (For Development)
4. 🧑‍💻 Usage
5. 📂 File Structure
6. 🚀 Future Enhancements
7. 🐞 Known Bugs
8. 📜 License
9. 🙏 Acknowledgments
10. 👤 Author

🌟 Features

• 🔒 User Authentication: Secure registration, login, and logout functionality.
• ⚡ Real-Time Messaging: Chat seamlessly with real-time updates.
• 📱 Responsive Design: Optimized for monitors of all sizes.
• 🗂️ Database: Messages and user data are stored in a robust database.

🛠️ Technologies Used

• Backend: Python 3, Flask, SQLAlchemy, Socket.IO, Gunicorn, Eventlet, Jinja2
• Frontend: HTML, JavaScript, CSS, Bootstrap
• Database: SQLite
• Environment: Docker, Bash, Devcontainers

📦 Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• Docker

Method 1: Docker Setup (Recommended)

Just run the application using:

docker compose up -d

The application will be accessible at http://0.0.0.0:8081.
To stop the application, run docker compose down.

Method 2: Local Setup (Without Docker)

1. Install Dependencies (First Run Only):

   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Initialize the Database (First Run Only):

   python init_db.py

3. Run the Application:

   python app.py

   The application will be accessible at http://127.0.0.1:5000.
   To stop the application, press Ctrl + C in the terminal running the app.

Method 3: Devcontainer Setup (For Development)

1. Open the project in a development environment that supports Devcontainers (e.g., Visual Studio Code).
2. Follow prompts to build and open the container.
3. The enviroment will be set up automatically based on the devcontainer.json.
4. Run python init_db.py (first run only), and then python app.py.

To stop the application, press Ctrl + C in the terminal running the app.

🧑‍💻 Usage

1. Open the application in your browser.
2. Register a new user account.
3. Log in using your credentials.
4. Start chatting!

📂 File Structure

chatterbox/
│
├── app.py                  # Main application logic
├── docker-compose.yaml     # Defines container(s) setup
├── Dockerfile              # Builds the Docker image
├── entrypoint.sh           # Script to initialize the app
├── event_handlers.py       # Event handling logic
├── helpers.py              # Helper functions and decorators
├── init_db.py              # Database initialization script
├── LICENSE                 # Project license
├── models.py               # Database models
├── README.md               # Project documentation
├── requirements.txt        # Python dependencies
├── .gitignore              # Gitignore file
│
├── instance/
│   └── chatterbox.db       # SQLite database file
│
├── misc/                   # Miscellaneous files
│
├── static/                 # Static files
│   ├── favicon.ico         # Favicon
│   ├── logo.png            # Logo image
│   ├── scripts.js          # JavaScript for the website
│   ├── styles.css          # CSS for styling
│   └── websocket.js        # WebSocket JavaScript
│
├── templates/              # HTML templates
│   ├── author.html         # Author information page
│   ├── chat.html           # Chat page template
│   ├── home.html           # Homepage template
│   ├── layout.html         # Base layout template
│   ├── login.html          # Login page template
│   └── register.html       # Registration page template
│
└── .devcontainer/
    └── devcontainer.json   # Dev container configuration

🚀 Future Enhancements

• User Profiles: Add user profile pages and the ability to update account details.
• Media Sharing: Add support for files, images, and videos in chats.
• Mobile Optimization: Ensure the chat interface is responsive and works seamlessly on mobile devices.
• Enhanced UI: Improve the design and usability of the chat interface.
• React Front-End (Optional): Migrate the front-end to React for a more dynamic and modern user experience.

🐞 Known Bugs

• None at the moment. All identified issues have been resolved.

📜 License

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

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Harvard's CS50x course for inspiration and foundational knowledge.
• The Flask and Bootstrap communities for providing excellent documentation and tools.

👤 Author

Filip Rokita
www.filiprokita.com