You Are Not Alone - Anonymous Chat Platform

You Are Not Alone is a modern, full-stack anonymous chat application designed to provide a safe "sanctuary" for people to connect, share feelings, and find support without revealing their real identities.

🚀 Live Demo

• Frontend: https://feeling-alone.vercel.app
• Backend API: https://feeling-alone.onrender.com

✨ Features

🔐 Secure Authentication

• Persistent Accounts: Users can create an account with a unique codename and password.
• Email OTP Verification: 100% free email verification system using a Google Apps Script HTTP relay to bypass cloud provider SMTP blocks.
• Password Reset: Secure password recovery flow using Email OTP.

🎭 Anonymous Interaction

• Codenames: No real names or profile pictures. Every user is identified by a unique chosen codename.
• Gender-Based Matching: Find a match based on your preference (Male, Female, or Anyone).
• Ephemeral Chats: Chat history is wiped from the screen upon disconnection to ensure privacy.

🤝 Social Features

• Friend Requests: Found someone you connect with? Send them a friend request after the chat ends!
• Recent Contacts: The app remembers your last 10 conversations locally, allowing you to send requests even after leaving the chat.
• Private Reconnection: Once a request is accepted, both users are instantly placed in a private room.

🛡️ Safety & Quality

• Profanity Filter: Built-in Hindi/English bad-words filter for a cleaner experience.
• Report System: One-click reporting to ban abusive users instantly.
• Strict Session Management: Only one active session allowed per account—logging in elsewhere automatically terminates old connections.

🛠️ Technology Stack

Frontend

• React.js: Single Page Application (SPA) architecture.
• Socket.io-client: Real-time, bidirectional communication.
• CSS3: Custom Vanilla CSS for a premium, responsive "Dark Mode" aesthetic.
• Emoji-Picker-React: For expressive anonymous communication.

Backend

• Node.js & Express: Scalable backend API.
• Socket.io: Real-time event handling and matching engine.
• Mongoose (MongoDB Atlas): Persistent data storage for users and friend requests.
• JWT (JSON Web Tokens): Secure, stateless session management.
• Bcrypt.js: Industry-standard password hashing.

⚙️ How it Works

1. The Handshake: When a user logs in, the server generates a JWT. This token is used to authenticate the Socket.io connection.
2. Matching Engine: Users join a "waiting room" with their gender preferences. The server iterates through waiting users and pairs them if their criteria match (e.g., Male seeking Female).
3. HTTP Email Relay: To avoid the SMTP blocking common on free cloud tiers (like Render), the server sends a POST request to a Google Apps Script Web App, which then sends the OTP via the Google Mail API.
4. Persistent State: User profiles and pending requests are stored in MongoDB, while active chat sessions are managed in-memory for maximum speed.

🛠️ Local Setup

1. Clone the repo:

   git clone https://github.com/itzrv19/You-are-not-Alone.git

2. Backend Setup:

   cd server
   npm install
   # Create a .env file with:
   # MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_uri
   # GOOGLE_SCRIPT_URL=your_google_script_url
   # JWT_SECRET=your_secret
   npm start

3. Frontend Setup:

   cd client
   npm install
   npm start

🔒 Security Note

This repository includes a .gitignore to ensure that sensitive environment variables (.env) are never pushed to GitHub. Always use environment secrets on hosting platforms like Render or Vercel.

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Created with ❤️ to help people feel a little less alone.