Add Real-Time Chat Functionality with Socket.io by CodeByStella · Pull Request #68 · gbowne1/codestream

CodeByStella · 2026-01-28T08:28:20Z

Summary

This PR adds a comprehensive real-time chat system to the DevStream platform using Socket.io, with full role-based access control and moderator functionality.

Changes Made

1. Socket.io Integration

Added socket.io dependency to package.json
Integrated Socket.io server with Express HTTP server
Implemented WebSocket connection handling with JWT authentication
Added Socket.io client library via CDN

2. Chat UI Components

Added chat container HTML structure as specified
Implemented message display area with scrollable container (300px height)
Added input field and send button for message submission
Responsive design with mobile optimizations

3. Role-Based Features

Updated User model to support the following roles:

user - Default role for regular users
vip - VIP users with enhanced privileges
moderator - Chat moderators with moderation powers
broadcaster - Stream broadcasters
administrator - System administrators
admin - Full admin access
bot - System bot messages

4. Role Hierarchy & Permissions

Implemented role hierarchy system:

Users can send messages and view chat
VIPs have enhanced visibility
Moderators can timeout, ban, and delete messages
Broadcasters have elevated status
Administrators have full control
Bots can send system messages

5. Moderator Actions

Moderators, broadcasters, and administrators can:

Timeout users: Temporarily prevent users from sending messages
Ban users: Permanently remove users from chat
Delete messages: Remove inappropriate messages from chat

6. Server-Side Implementation (`server.js`)

Socket.io server setup with CORS configuration
JWT token verification for authenticated users
Anonymous user support (guest users)
Message validation (length, content checks)
Role-based permission checking
Moderator action handlers
User connection/disconnection tracking
System message broadcasting

7. Client-Side Implementation (`main.js`)

Socket.io client connection with token authentication
Real-time message receiving and display
Message sending functionality
Role badge display with color coding
Timestamp formatting
HTML escaping for security
Timeout and ban handling
Error message display
Welcome message on connection

8. Styling (`style.css`)

Chat container styling with Bootstrap integration
Dark mode support for chat
Role badge color coding
Responsive design for mobile devices
Hover effects and transitions
Message styling with proper spacing

9. Security Updates

Updated Content Security Policy (CSP) to allow Socket.io CDN
Added WebSocket connection permissions (ws:, wss:)
HTML escaping for user messages
Message length validation (max 500 characters)
JWT token verification for authenticated users

Technical Details

Socket Events

Client → Server:

chatMessage - Send a chat message
modAction - Moderator actions (timeout, ban, delete)

Server → Client:

chatMessage - Receive new messages
deleteMessage - Message deletion notification
timeout - User timeout notification
banned - User ban notification
error - Error messages

Role Badge Colors

user: Secondary (gray)
vip: Warning (yellow)
moderator: Info (blue)
broadcaster: Success (green)
administrator/admin: Danger (red)
bot: Dark (black)

Features

✅ Real-time messaging - Instant message delivery via WebSocket
✅ Role-based access - Different permissions for different user roles
✅ Moderator controls - Timeout, ban, and delete message capabilities
✅ Anonymous users - Guest users can chat without authentication
✅ System messages - Bot messages for join/leave notifications
✅ Dark mode support - Full dark mode compatibility
✅ Responsive design - Mobile-friendly chat interface
✅ Security - HTML escaping, message validation, JWT authentication

Files Modified

package.json - Added socket.io dependency
server.js - Added Socket.io server with role-based features
src/js/main.js - Added Socket.io client and chat UI logic
src/css/style.css - Added chat container styling
index.html - Added chat container HTML and Socket.io CDN
src/models/User.js - Updated role enum to include all chat roles

Testing

To test the chat functionality:

Start the server: npm run api
Open the application in a browser
The chat container should appear at the bottom of the page
Type a message and click Send or press Enter
Messages should appear in real-time
Test with multiple browser windows to see real-time updates

Future Enhancements

Potential side projects mentioned in the issue:

Broadcaster/streamer dashboard
Moderator panel with advanced mod functionality
Chat commands system
Emote/emoji support
Message history persistence
User mentions (@username)
Private messaging

Related: Implements chat functionality as specified in the issue requirements.

…features - Add Socket.io server integration with role-based authentication - Implement chat container UI with message display and input - Add role-based features: moderators, VIPs, administrators, broadcaster, bot - Implement moderator actions: timeout, ban, delete messages - Add role hierarchy system for permission management - Update User model to support all chat roles - Add chat styling with dark mode support - Update CSP to allow Socket.io connections Chat supports real-time messaging, role-based permissions, and moderator controls for managing chat interactions.

CodeByStella · 2026-01-28T08:28:45Z

#52

gbowne1 · 2026-01-28T08:39:31Z

@CodeByStella

Please see the Discussion tab for a thread for the screenshots of the application. A new PR #61 includes go live functions.

I'll check out and review this PR.

I'm hesitant to add more issues and PRs till everything in

https://github.com/gbowne1/codestream/pull

has been merged.

Please help with review process if you can. I'm generally invited collaborators to the project once 2 or 3 of their PRs have landed.

gbowne1

@CodeByStella

I checked out this change locally for testing and review for merge.

This PR adds a real time chat to the application

It appears to work properly allow users to chat while watching the streaming.

It doesn't appear to cause any additional problems with current code.

Approving this PR for merge pending further review by collaborators and other maintainers and contributors.

Thanks for the opportunity to review your PR and for your contribution to this project

shishir-21

@CodeByStella

Thanks for the contribution.

The changes in this PR correctly implement the real-time chat feature described in issue #52. The solution looks solid and well integrated.

I agree to merge this PR.

gbowne1 · 2026-02-02T00:49:20Z

This still has merge conflicts unresolved. Fix then re-review this.

I would consider doing #78 reasonably soon which would reduce the number of merge conflicts.

I'd also include separate css.

CodeByStella · 2026-02-02T00:59:23Z

Resolved conflicts

gbowne1 · 2026-02-08T03:02:50Z

This probably needs a rebase update so its good up current master branch post #87 merging

CodeByStella mentioned this pull request Jan 28, 2026

[Feature] Add a chat and use websockets #52

Open

gbowne1 requested review from EricKart, Mustansir-06, abhisheksingh1204 and gbowne1 January 28, 2026 08:31

gbowne1 assigned CodeByStella Jan 28, 2026

gbowne1 added the enhancement New feature or request label Jan 28, 2026

gbowne1 linked an issue Jan 28, 2026 that may be closed by this pull request

[Feature] Add a chat and use websockets #52

Open

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gbowne1 self-requested a review January 28, 2026 09:46

gbowne1 approved these changes Jan 28, 2026

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shishir-21 approved these changes Jan 28, 2026

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Ved178 self-requested a review January 30, 2026 19:30

This was referenced Feb 1, 2026

[TODO] separate frontend code from backend code #77

Open

[TODO][Enhance] Separate main.js #78

Open

Merge branch 'master' into fix-issue-52

7f203b6

gbowne1 requested a review from glenjaysondmello February 3, 2026 15:59

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Add Real-Time Chat Functionality with Socket.io#68

Add Real-Time Chat Functionality with Socket.io#68
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CodeByStella commented Jan 28, 2026

Summary

Changes Made

1. Socket.io Integration

2. Chat UI Components

3. Role-Based Features

4. Role Hierarchy & Permissions

5. Moderator Actions

6. Server-Side Implementation (server.js)

7. Client-Side Implementation (main.js)

8. Styling (style.css)

9. Security Updates

Technical Details

Socket Events

Role Badge Colors

Features

Files Modified

Testing

Future Enhancements

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gbowne1 commented Feb 2, 2026

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6. Server-Side Implementation (`server.js`)

7. Client-Side Implementation (`main.js`)

8. Styling (`style.css`)