High-Throughput, Event-Driven Real-Time Chat Platform
Built with Next.js, Node.js (TypeScript), Apache Kafka, Redis Streams, Socket.IO, and PostgreSQL.
RelayChat is a scalable, real-time messaging application designed for high-concurrency environments. It utilizes an event-driven architecture powered by Apache Kafka for asynchronous message persistence and Redis Streams for scaling WebSocket connections across multi-node server clusters.
- ⚡ Sub-Second Messaging: Low-latency bidirectional WebSocket communication via Socket.IO.
- 🔄 Event-Driven Pipeline: High-throughput message ingestion decoupled via Apache Kafka producer/consumer pipelines.
- 🌐 Distributed WebSockets: Redis Stream Adapter enables horizontal scaling of Socket.IO instances.
- 🔒 Passcode-Protected Rooms: Secure chat room creation, user joining, and dynamic authentication.
- 📁 Media & File Attachments: Cloudinary & Multer integration for uploading images and document attachments.
- 🔑 OAuth Authentication: NextAuth.js integration for social logins (Google, GitHub).
- 🎨 Modern & Responsive UI: Built with Next.js, Tailwind CSS, and Radix UI / Shadcn.
| Domain | Technologies |
|---|---|
| Frontend | Next.js (App Router), React 19, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, Radix UI / Shadcn, Socket.io-Client, NextAuth.js |
| Backend | Node.js, Express.js, TypeScript, Socket.IO, Prisma ORM |
| Messaging & Caching | Apache Kafka (KafkaJS), Redis (ioredis & @socket.io/redis-streams-adapter) |
| Database & Storage | PostgreSQL, Cloudinary (Media Storage), Multer |
# 1. Clone & setup backend
git clone https://github.com/your-username/relay-chat.git
cd relay-chat/backend && npm install
npx prisma db push && npm run dev
# 2. Open new terminal & setup frontend
cd relay-chat/frontend && npm install
npm run dev