LiveBackendMay 2024
Real-Time Chat System
A real-time messaging system supporting both direct messages and group channels. Uses WebSocket connections for instant delivery, Redis pub/sub for horizontal scaling, and PostgreSQL for message persistence.
Overview
A real-time messaging system supporting both direct messages and group channels. Uses WebSocket connections for instant delivery, Redis pub/sub for horizontal scaling, and PostgreSQL for message persistence.
Architecture
WebSocket server with Redis pub/sub for multi-instance scaling. Messages are persisted to PostgreSQL with optimistic delivery for low latency. Presence system uses Redis sorted sets.
Key Features
What makes this project stand out.
Real-time messaging via WebSocket
Online/offline presence indicators
Message history with pagination
Group channels and direct messages
Typing indicators
Tech Stack
Technologies used to build this project.
Node.jsWebSocketRedisPostgreSQLExpress.js
Lessons Learned
Key takeaways from building this project.
1Redis pub/sub is essential for horizontal WebSocket scaling
2Optimistic UI updates improve perceived performance
3Connection management is harder than message delivery