Django Chat Application

A real-time private chat application built with Django and Django Channels, featuring WebSocket-based messaging, user presence, typing indicators, read receipts, and file sharing. The project is deployed on Render with a live demo available.

Live Demo: https://chatify-1uaw.onrender.com/

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Features

• Real-time private messaging using WebSockets
• Online / offline user presence with last-seen tracking
• Typing indicators
• Read receipts
• Message pagination (load older messages)
• File and image sharing
• Secure message validation (anti-spoofing, input validation)
• Authentication-based access control
• Responsive UI built with Tailwind CSS

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Tech Stack

Backend

• Python
• Django
• Django Channels (ASGI)
• PostgreSQL
• Redis (via Channels layer, if configured)

Frontend

• JavaScript
• Tailwind CSS
• HTML (Django templates)

Deployment

• Render (production hosting)
• ASGI application with Channels

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Project Structure

.
├── build.sh
├── chat
│   ├── admin.py
│   ├── apps.py
│   ├── consumers.py
│   ├── migrations
│   ├── models.py
│   ├── routing.py
│   ├── templates
│   │   ├── chat
│   │   │   ├── base.html
│   │   │   ├── index.html
│   │   │   └── room.html
│   │   └── registration
│   │       └── login.html
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── views.py
├── core
│   ├── asgi.py
│   ├── settings.py
│   ├── urls.py
│   └── wsgi.py
├── media
├── static
│   └── js
│       └── room.js
├── manage.py
├── requirements.txt
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

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Core Functionality Overview

WebSocket Communication

• Implemented using AsyncWebsocketConsumer

• Secure room generation based on participating usernames

• Server-side validation for:

  • Authentication
  • Message ownership
  • Message length
  • UUID integrity

Messaging System

• Messages stored in PostgreSQL

• Supports:

  • Text messages
  • File attachments
  • Soft deletion
  • Read/unread state

• Messages are paginated to improve performance

User Presence

• Tracks online/offline status
• Updates last_seen timestamp
• Broadcasts status changes in real time

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Setup and Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.10+
• PostgreSQL
• Virtual environment tool (recommended)

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/amirhamidi2001/django-chat-app.git
cd django-chat-app

Create Virtual Environment

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Linux / macOS
venv\Scripts\activate     # Windows

Install Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

Environment Variables

Create a .env file or configure environment variables:

SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key
DEBUG=True
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/db_name

Apply Migrations

python manage.py migrate

Create Superuser

python manage.py createsuperuser

Run Development Server

python manage.py runserver

Access the app at: http://127.0.0.1:8000/

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Deployment Notes (Render)

• Uses an ASGI entry point (core/asgi.py)
• build.sh handles setup during deployment
• Static files and media configured for production
• PostgreSQL used as the primary database

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Security Considerations

• WebSocket connections require authentication
• Users cannot message themselves
• Message sender spoofing is prevented server-side
• UUID validation for all message references
• Message length limits enforced

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License

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

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Author

Amir Hamidi Python & Django Developer

• GitHub: https://github.com/amirhamidi2001
• Website: https://amirhamidi.pythonanywhere.com/