EspressoLabs Home Assignment: Real-Time Chat Application

EspressoLabs: Real-Time Chat Application.md

EspressoLabs Home Assignment: A ReactJS Real-Time Chat Application

Objective

Build a simple real-time chat application that allows multiple users to join and interact in a chat room. This assignment is designed to evaluate your ability to work with real-time communication, authentication, and scalable architecture. Please use ReactJS.

Time Limit

90 minutes

Requirements

1. Socket Integration

   • Use Socket.IO for real-time communication between users.
   • Broadcast messages to all users in a chat room.

2. User Authentication

   • Implement a basic authentication system (e.g., username-based or token-based).
   • Ensure users can only access chat rooms when authenticated.

3. Multiple Chat Rooms

   • Allow users to create and join different chat rooms dynamically.
   • Each chat room should have its own message history (stored in-memory for simplicity).

4. Tech Stack

   • Backend: Node.js with Express and Socket.IO
   • Frontend: TypeScript + ReactJS

5. Bonus (if time allows)

   • Display a list of active chat rooms.
   • Show online users in each chat room.
   • Persist chat history in a simple in-memory store.

Deliverables

• A GitHub repository or a zipped project with clear setup instructions in a README.md.
• A brief explanation of architectural decisions and improvements you'd make with more time.

Evaluation Criteria

• Code Structure & Readability
• Correctness & Functionality
• Efficient Use of WebSockets
• Authentication Implementation
• Scalability Considerations

This assignment is meant to be time-boxed to 90 minutes, so focus on delivering a working, well-structured solution rather than perfecting every detail.

Make sure to add a video of the app in action to the README file.

Good luck! 🚀