Build a Real-time Chat Application

In this guide, we’ll build a real-time chat application using zopio’s built-in collaboration package. You’ll learn how to implement real-time messaging, user presence, and message history.

1. Create a new project

Terminal

npx zopio@latest init chat-app

This will create a new project with the name chat-app and install the necessary dependencies.

2. Configure your environment variables

Follow the guide on Environment Variables to set up your environment variables.

For a chat application, you’ll need to set up the following variables:

.env

DATABASE_URL="your-database-url"
NEXT_PUBLIC_SOCKET_URL="your-socket-url"

3. Set up the database schema

Let’s create the database schema for our chat application. We’ll need tables for channels, messages, and user presence.

packages/database/schema/chat.ts

import { relations } from 'drizzle-orm';
import { pgTable, text, timestamp, uuid } from 'drizzle-orm/pg-core';
import { users } from './auth';

export const channels = pgTable('channels', {
  id: uuid('id').defaultRandom().primaryKey(),
  name: text('name').notNull(),
  description: text('description'),
  createdAt: timestamp('created_at').defaultNow().notNull(),
  updatedAt: timestamp('updated_at').defaultNow().notNull(),
});

export const channelsRelations = relations(channels, ({ many }) => ({
  messages: many(messages),
  members: many(channelMembers),
}));

export const channelMembers = pgTable('channel_members', {
  channelId: uuid('channel_id')
    .notNull()
    .references(() => channels.id, { onDelete: 'cascade' }),
  userId: uuid('user_id')
    .notNull()
    .references(() => users.id, { onDelete: 'cascade' }),
  joinedAt: timestamp('joined_at').defaultNow().notNull(),
});

export const channelMembersRelations = relations(channelMembers, ({ one }) => ({
  channel: one(channels, {
    fields: [channelMembers.channelId],
    references: [channels.id],
  }),
  user: one(users, {
    fields: [channelMembers.userId],
    references: [users.id],
  }),
}));

export const messages = pgTable('messages', {
  id: uuid('id').defaultRandom().primaryKey(),
  content: text('content').notNull(),
  channelId: uuid('channel_id')
    .notNull()
    .references(() => channels.id, { onDelete: 'cascade' }),
  userId: uuid('user_id')
    .notNull()
    .references(() => users.id, { onDelete: 'cascade' }),
  createdAt: timestamp('created_at').defaultNow().notNull(),
  updatedAt: timestamp('updated_at').defaultNow().notNull(),
});

export const messagesRelations = relations(messages, ({ one }) => ({
  channel: one(channels, {
    fields: [messages.channelId],
    references: [channels.id],
  }),
  user: one(users, {
    fields: [messages.userId],
    references: [users.id],
  }),
}));

export const presence = pgTable('presence', {
  userId: uuid('user_id')
    .primaryKey()
    .references(() => users.id, { onDelete: 'cascade' }),
  status: text('status').notNull().default('online'),
  lastSeen: timestamp('last_seen').defaultNow().notNull(),
});

export const presenceRelations = relations(presence, ({ one }) => ({
  user: one(users, {
    fields: [presence.userId],
    references: [users.id],
  }),
}));

4. Implement real-time messaging

Now, let’s implement the real-time messaging functionality using the collaboration package.

4.1 Set up the Socket.IO server

First, let’s create a Socket.IO server to handle real-time communication:

apps/app/app/api/socket/route.ts

import { createSocketServer } from '@repo/collaboration/server';
import { db } from '@repo/database';
import { auth } from '@repo/auth/server';
import { messages, presence } from '@repo/database/schema/chat';
import { eq } from 'drizzle-orm';

const socketServer = createSocketServer({
  async onConnection(socket, request) {
    try {
      // Authenticate the user
      const { userId } = await auth();
      
      if (!userId) {
        socket.disconnect(true);
        return;
      }
      
      // Store user ID in socket data
      socket.data.userId = userId;
      
      // Update user presence
      await db
        .insert(presence)
        .values({
          userId,
          status: 'online',
          lastSeen: new Date(),
        })
        .onConflictDoUpdate({
          target: presence.userId,
          set: {
            status: 'online',
            lastSeen: new Date(),
          },
        });
      
      // Broadcast user online status
      socket.broadcast.emit('presence:update', {
        userId,
        status: 'online',
      });
      
      // Handle joining channels
      socket.on('channel:join', (channelId) => {
        socket.join(`channel:${channelId}`);
      });
      
      // Handle leaving channels
      socket.on('channel:leave', (channelId) => {
        socket.leave(`channel:${channelId}`);
      });
      
      // Handle new messages
      socket.on('message:send', async (data) => {
        const { channelId, content } = data;
        
        // Save message to database
        const [newMessage] = await db
          .insert(messages)
          .values({
            channelId,
            userId,
            content,
          })
          .returning();
        
        // Broadcast message to channel
        socket.to(`channel:${channelId}`).emit('message:new', newMessage);
      });
      
      // Handle disconnect
      socket.on('disconnect', async () => {
        await db
          .update(presence)
          .set({
            status: 'offline',
            lastSeen: new Date(),
          })
          .where(eq(presence.userId, userId));
        
        // Broadcast user offline status
        socket.broadcast.emit('presence:update', {
          userId,
          status: 'offline',
        });
      });
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Socket connection error:', error);
      socket.disconnect(true);
    }
  },
});

export const GET = socketServer.handler;
export const POST = socketServer.handler;

4.2 Create the client-side socket connection

Next, let’s create a hook to manage the socket connection on the client side:

apps/app/lib/use-socket.ts

'use client';

import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { io, Socket } from 'socket.io-client';

let socket: Socket | null = null;

export function useSocket() {
  const [isConnected, setIsConnected] = useState(false);

  useEffect(() => {
    // Initialize socket connection if it doesn't exist
    if (!socket) {
      socket = io(process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_SOCKET_URL || '', {
        path: '/api/socket',
        autoConnect: true,
      });
    }

    // Set up event listeners
    const onConnect = () => {
      setIsConnected(true);
    };

    const onDisconnect = () => {
      setIsConnected(false);
    };

    socket.on('connect', onConnect);
    socket.on('disconnect', onDisconnect);

    // Connect if not already connected
    if (!socket.connected) {
      socket.connect();
    }

    // Clean up event listeners on unmount
    return () => {
      socket?.off('connect', onConnect);
      socket?.off('disconnect', onDisconnect);
    };
  }, []);

  return { socket, isConnected };
}

4.3 Create the chat components

Let’s create the components for our chat interface. First, let’s create a component for the channel list:

apps/app/app/(authenticated)/chat/components/channel-list.tsx

'use client';

import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { useRouter } from 'next/navigation';
import { Button } from '@repo/design-system/components/ui/button';
import { PlusIcon } from 'lucide-react';
import { CreateChannelDialog } from './create-channel-dialog';

type Channel = {
  id: string;
  name: string;
  description: string | null;
};

type ChannelListProps = {
  initialChannels: Channel[];
  activeChannelId?: string;
};

export function ChannelList({ initialChannels, activeChannelId }: ChannelListProps) {
  const [channels, setChannels] = useState<Channel[]>(initialChannels);
  const [isDialogOpen, setIsDialogOpen] = useState(false);
  const router = useRouter();

  const handleChannelSelect = (channelId: string) => {
    router.push(`/chat/${channelId}`);
  };

  const handleCreateChannel = async (name: string, description?: string) => {
    try {
      const response = await fetch('/api/channels', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
          'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({ name, description }),
      });

      if (!response.ok) {
        throw new Error('Failed to create channel');
      }

      const newChannel = await response.json();
      setChannels((prev) => [...prev, newChannel]);
      setIsDialogOpen(false);
      router.push(`/chat/${newChannel.id}`);
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Error creating channel:', error);
    }
  };

  return (
    <div className="w-64 border-r h-full flex flex-col">
      <div className="p-4 border-b flex items-center justify-between">
        <h2 className="font-semibold">Channels</h2>
        <Button
          variant="ghost"
          size="icon"
          onClick={() => setIsDialogOpen(true)}
        >
          <PlusIcon className="h-4 w-4" />
        </Button>
      </div>
      <div className="flex-1 overflow-auto">
        <ul className="space-y-1 p-2">
          {channels.map((channel) => (
            <li key={channel.id}>
              <Button
                variant={channel.id === activeChannelId ? 'secondary' : 'ghost'}
                className="w-full justify-start"
                onClick={() => handleChannelSelect(channel.id)}
              >
                # {channel.name}
              </Button>
            </li>
          ))}
        </ul>
      </div>
      <CreateChannelDialog
        isOpen={isDialogOpen}
        onClose={() => setIsDialogOpen(false)}
        onCreateChannel={handleCreateChannel}
      />
    </div>
  );
}

Now, let’s create the chat interface component:

apps/app/app/(authenticated)/chat/[channelId]/components/chat-interface.tsx

'use client';

import { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
import { useSocket } from '@/lib/use-socket';
import { Button } from '@repo/design-system/components/ui/button';
import { Input } from '@repo/design-system/components/ui/input';
import { SendIcon } from 'lucide-react';
import { MessageList } from './message-list';
import { useRouter } from 'next/navigation';

type Message = {
  id: string;
  content: string;
  userId: string;
  channelId: string;
  createdAt: string;
  user: {
    name: string;
    image: string | null;
  };
};

type ChatInterfaceProps = {
  channelId: string;
  initialMessages: Message[];
  currentUserId: string;
};

export function ChatInterface({
  channelId,
  initialMessages,
  currentUserId,
}: ChatInterfaceProps) {
  const [messages, setMessages] = useState<Message[]>(initialMessages);
  const [messageInput, setMessageInput] = useState('');
  const [isLoading, setIsLoading] = useState(false);
  const { socket, isConnected } = useSocket();
  const messagesEndRef = useRef<HTMLDivElement>(null);
  const router = useRouter();

  // Join channel on mount and leave on unmount
  useEffect(() => {
    if (socket && isConnected) {
      socket.emit('channel:join', channelId);

      // Listen for new messages
      const handleNewMessage = (newMessage: Message) => {
        setMessages((prev) => [...prev, newMessage]);
      };

      socket.on('message:new', handleNewMessage);

      return () => {
        socket.emit('channel:leave', channelId);
        socket.off('message:new', handleNewMessage);
      };
    }
  }, [socket, isConnected, channelId]);

  // Scroll to bottom when messages change
  useEffect(() => {
    messagesEndRef.current?.scrollIntoView({ behavior: 'smooth' });
  }, [messages]);

  const handleSendMessage = () => {
    if (!messageInput.trim() || !socket || !isConnected) return;

    setIsLoading(true);
    
    // Emit message to server
    socket.emit('message:send', {
      channelId,
      content: messageInput.trim(),
    });

    setMessageInput('');
    setIsLoading(false);
  };

  return (
    <div className="flex flex-col h-full">
      <div className="flex-1 overflow-y-auto p-4">
        <MessageList messages={messages} currentUserId={currentUserId} />
        <div ref={messagesEndRef} />
      </div>
      <div className="border-t p-4">
        <form
          onSubmit={(e) => {
            e.preventDefault();
            handleSendMessage();
          }}
          className="flex gap-2"
        >
          <Input
            value={messageInput}
            onChange={(e) => setMessageInput(e.target.value)}
            placeholder="Type a message..."
            disabled={!isConnected || isLoading}
          />
          <Button
            type="submit"
            size="icon"
            disabled={!isConnected || isLoading || !messageInput.trim()}
          >
            <SendIcon className="h-4 w-4" />
          </Button>
        </form>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

Let’s create the message list component:

apps/app/app/(authenticated)/chat/[channelId]/components/message-list.tsx

'use client';

import { Avatar, AvatarFallback, AvatarImage } from '@repo/design-system/components/ui/avatar';
import { formatDistanceToNow } from 'date-fns';

type Message = {
  id: string;
  content: string;
  userId: string;
  channelId: string;
  createdAt: string;
  user: {
    name: string;
    image: string | null;
  };
};

type MessageListProps = {
  messages: Message[];
  currentUserId: string;
};

export function MessageList({ messages, currentUserId }: MessageListProps) {
  if (messages.length === 0) {
    return (
      <div className="flex items-center justify-center h-full">
        <p className="text-muted-foreground">No messages yet. Start the conversation!</p>
      </div>
    );
  }

  return (
    <div className="space-y-4">
      {messages.map((message) => {
        const isCurrentUser = message.userId === currentUserId;
        const initials = message.user.name
          .split(' ')
          .map((n) => n[0])
          .join('')
          .toUpperCase();

        return (
          <div
            key={message.id}
            className={`flex ${isCurrentUser ? 'justify-end' : 'justify-start'}`}
          >
            <div className={`flex ${isCurrentUser ? 'flex-row-reverse' : 'flex-row'} gap-2 max-w-[80%]`}>
              <Avatar className="h-8 w-8">
                {message.user.image && (
                  <AvatarImage src={message.user.image} alt={message.user.name} />
                )}
                <AvatarFallback>{initials}</AvatarFallback>
              </Avatar>
              <div>
                <div className="flex items-center gap-2">
                  <span className="text-sm font-medium">{message.user.name}</span>
                  <span className="text-xs text-muted-foreground">
                    {formatDistanceToNow(new Date(message.createdAt), { addSuffix: true })}
                  </span>
                </div>
                <div className={`mt-1 rounded-lg p-3 ${isCurrentUser ? 'bg-primary text-primary-foreground' : 'bg-muted'}`}>
                  {message.content}
                </div>
              </div>
            </div>
          </div>
        );
      })}
    </div>
  );
}

7. Add internationalization support

Let’s add internationalization support to our chat application using the internationalization package. First, let’s create translation files for our supported locales.

dictionaries/en.json

{
  "chat": {
    "welcome": "Welcome to Chat",
    "select_channel": "Select a channel from the sidebar or create a new one to start chatting.",
    "channels": "Channels",
    "no_messages": "No messages yet. Start the conversation!",
    "type_message": "Type a message...",
    "create_channel": "Create Channel",
    "channel_name": "Channel Name",
    "channel_description": "Channel Description (optional)",
    "create": "Create",
    "cancel": "Cancel"
  }
}

dictionaries/tr.json

{
  "chat": {
    "welcome": "Sohbete Hoş Geldiniz",
    "select_channel": "Sohbet etmeye başlamak için kenar çubuğundan bir kanal seçin veya yeni bir kanal oluşturun.",
    "channels": "Kanallar",
    "no_messages": "Henüz mesaj yok. Konuşmayı başlat!",
    "type_message": "Bir mesaj yazın...",
    "create_channel": "Kanal Oluştur",
    "channel_name": "Kanal Adı",
    "channel_description": "Kanal Açıklaması (isteğe bağlı)",
    "create": "Oluştur",
    "cancel": "İptal"
  }
}

Then, update our components to use the translations:

apps/app/app/(authenticated)/chat/page.tsx

import { Button } from '@repo/design-system/components/ui/button';
import { MessageSquareIcon } from 'lucide-react';
import Link from 'next/link';
import { getDictionary } from '@repo/internationalization';

export default async function ChatIndexPage() {
  const dict = await getDictionary();

  return (
    <div className="flex items-center justify-center h-full">
      <div className="text-center space-y-4">
        <MessageSquareIcon className="h-12 w-12 mx-auto text-muted-foreground" />
        <h1 className="text-2xl font-bold">{dict.chat.welcome}</h1>
        <p className="text-muted-foreground">
          {dict.chat.select_channel}
        </p>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

8. Run the application

Now you can run your chat application:

Terminal

pnpm dev --filter app

Visit http://localhost:3000/chat to see your chat application in action.

Next Steps

Add typing indicators to show when users are typing
Implement read receipts for messages
Add support for file attachments and rich media
Implement direct messaging between users
Add notifications for new messages

You’ve successfully built a real-time chat application using zopio and the collaboration package! If you have any questions, please reach out to us on Twitter or open an issue on GitHub.

Recipes

​1. Create a new project

​2. Configure your environment variables

​3. Set up the database schema

​4. Implement real-time messaging

​4.1 Set up the Socket.IO server

​4.2 Create the client-side socket connection

​4.3 Create the chat components

​7. Add internationalization support

​8. Run the application

​Next Steps