Django Chat Application with Channels and Redis

This Django application provides real-time chat functionality using Django Channels and Redis. It allows users to create chatrooms, send messages, view member counts, send private messages within the chatroom, receive notifications for user join/leave events, and see the list of online members.

Prerequisites

Before running the application, ensure you have the following installed:

• Python (>=3.6)
• Django (>=3.x)
• Redis (>=5.x)

Installation

1. Clone this repository to your local machine:

   git clone  https://github.com/talhamsajid/django-chatapp.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd django-chat-app

3. Install Python dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

4. Make migrations and migrate the database:

   python manage.py makemigrations
   python manage.py migrate

Configuration

1. Configure Redis:

   • Ensure Redis is running on your system.
   • Update CHANNEL_LAYERS settings in settings.py to use Redis as the channel layer backend.

2. Configure Django settings:

   • Update ALLOWED_HOSTS in settings.py with your domain or IP address.
   • Configure any other settings as needed, such as database settings.

Running the Application

1. Start the Django development server:

   python manage.py runserver

2. Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000 to access the chat application.

Usage

• Creating a Chatroom: Users can create new chatrooms by providing a name and description.
• Sending Messages: Users can send messages in the chatroom by typing in the message input field and pressing Enter.
• Private Messages: Users can send private messages to other users in the same chatroom by clicking on their username and typing the message in the private message input field.
• Viewing Member Count: The application displays the count of members in each chatroom.
• Notifications: Users receive notifications when a new user joins or leaves the chatroom.
• Online Members: The application always displays a list of online members on the side.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! If you'd like to contribute to this project, please fork the repository, make your changes, and submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.