Private Chat Frontend

A secure, ephemeral chat application with no history, logs, tracking, or authentication.

This client app requires a running instance of the server.

You can host your own instance, or use the one hosted by Diamonds VPN at chat.vpn.diamonds.

Features

• Private chat rooms
• Real-time messaging using WebSockets
• No message history or logs stored
• User presence notifications
• Simple and intuitive UI

Getting Started

Deployment

Prerequisites

• Node.js v22.13.1
• bun 1.1.27

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/PrivateChatProtocol/private-chat-ui.git
   cd private-chat-ui

2. Install dependencies:

   bun install

3. Create a .env.local file in the root directory:

   # Your frontend URL (development)
   NEXT_PUBLIC_FRONTEND_URL=localhost:3000
   
   # Backend server URL
   NEXT_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL=localhost:8000
   

Development

Start the development server:

bun run dev

Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser to view the client application.

WebSocket Protocol

The server and client uses the following message formats for real-time communication:

Joining a room:

{
  "system": true,
  "type": "JOIN_ROOM",
  "username": "string",
  "roomId": "string"
}

Leaving a room:

{
  "system": true,
  "type": "LEAVE_ROOM",
  "username": "string",
  "roomId": "string"
}

Sending a chat text message:

{
  "system": false,
  "type": "CHAT_MESSAGE",
  "roomId": "string",
  "content": "string",
  "username": "string"
}

Sending a chat image message:

{
  "system": false,
  "type": "IMAGE_MESSAGE",
  "roomId": "string",
  "username": "string",
  "imageData": "string",
  "caption": "string",
  "timestamp": "string"
}

Broadcasting chat members list:

{
  "system": true,
  "type": "USER_LIST",
  "roomId": "string",
  "members": ["string"]
}

Error

{
  "system": true,
  "type": "ERROR",
  "roomId": "string",
  "username": "string",
  "content": "string",
  "timestamp": "string"
}

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature
3. Commit your changes: git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'
4. Push to the branch: git push origin feature/amazing-feature
5. Open a pull request

License

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