Create a Real-Time Chat Application in Next.js

In this project, you’ll be developing a real-time chat application. The technologies you’ll be using include Next.js, Tailwind CSS, and Socket.io.

Key features

The chat application will have the following features:

• User authentication:

  • Upon starting the application, the user will be asked to enter a desired username.

    • No password will be required.

  • After inputting a username and clicking “Go,” the user will be directed to the chat room.

• Chat room:

  • The chat room will display the user’s chosen username at the top.

  • The chat room will feature a message input field at the bottom.

  • The chat room will display a history of messages, with each message indicating the author’s name and the content of the message.

• Message exchange:

  • Users can type their messages into the input field and press Enter to send.

  • Sent messages are emitted to the server via Socket.io and then broadcast to all connected clients.

  • Sent messages are added to both the chat history and the messages array, enabling the user to see their own messages instantly.

Back-end services

The application will use Next.js API routes for managing the socket connection setup.

Objective

By the end of this project, you’ll have a simple yet effective real-time communication platform where users can interact and exchange messages within a chat room.