Chat Server

A Slack-like chat module for metric-im with channels and direct messages.

Features

• Channels: Create public or private channels for team communication
• Direct Messages: One-on-one private conversations
• Real-time Updates: Messages are polled every 2 seconds for new content
• Message Management: Edit and delete your own messages
• Member Management: Add and remove members from channels
• Authentication: Integrated with epistery for user identity and authentication

Installation

cd ~/workspace/metric-im/chat-server
npm install

Usage

Server-side Integration

import ChatServer from '@metric-im/chat-server';

// In your componentry initialization
await componentry.init(
    // ... other modules
    ChatServer
);

Client-side Usage

import Chat from '/components/Chat.mjs';

// Render the chat interface
const chat = new Chat({
    context: {
        userId: 'user-id',
        id: 'account-id'
    }
});
await chat.render(document.body);

API Endpoints

Channels

• GET /chat/channels - Get all channels the user has access to
• POST /chat/channel - Create a new channel
  • Body: { name, description, type }
• GET /chat/channel/:channelId - Get channel details and members
• POST /chat/channel/:channelId/member - Add a member to a channel
  • Body: { userId }
• DELETE /chat/channel/:channelId/member/:userId - Remove a member from a channel

Direct Messages

• GET /chat/dms - Get all DM conversations
• POST /chat/dm - Create or get existing DM with a user
  • Body: { targetUserId }

Messages

• GET /chat/messages/:channelId - Get messages from a channel
  • Query params: limit (default: 50), before (timestamp)
• POST /chat/message - Send a message
  • Body: { channelId, text }
• PUT /chat/message/:messageId - Edit a message
  • Body: { text }
• DELETE /chat/message/:messageId - Delete a message

Data Structures

Channel

{
    _id: String,
    name: String,
    description: String,
    type: 'channel' | 'public' | 'private' | 'dm',
    dmParticipants: [String], // Only for DMs
    accountId: String,
    createdBy: String,
    createdAt: Date,
    modifiedAt: Date
}

Message

{
    _id: String,
    channelId: String,
    userId: String,
    text: String,
    createdAt: Date,
    modifiedAt: Date,
    edited: Boolean
}

Member

{
    _id: String,
    channelId: String,
    userId: String,
    joinedAt: Date
}

Components

Chat

Main component that renders the entire chat interface with sidebar and chat window.

ChatSidebar

Left sidebar showing channels and DMs list.

ChatWindow

Main chat area showing messages and input field.

Authentication

The module uses epistery for authentication. All endpoints require an authenticated user with req.account.id and req.account.userId.

The authentication middleware is applied to all /chat/* routes:

router.use('/chat', (req, res, next) => {
    if (req.account && req.account.id) next();
    else res.status(401).send();
});

Database Collections

The module uses three MongoDB collections:

• chat_channels - Stores channel information
• chat_messages - Stores all messages
• chat_members - Stores channel membership

Indexes are automatically created on initialization for optimal query performance.

Styling

The module includes a CSS file at assets/chat.css that provides a complete styling solution. The styles use CSS variables for theming:

• --background-secondary
• --border-color
• --hover-background
• --active-background
• --text-muted
• --primary-color
• --primary-hover
• --spacer
• --spacerhalf

Development

Based on the wiki-mixin structural template, the chat-server follows the same patterns:

• Server module extends Componentry.Module
• Client components extend Component
• Uses epistery for authentication
• Follows the componentry framework conventions

Future Enhancements

Potential improvements for future versions:

• WebSocket support for true real-time messaging
• File uploads and image sharing
• Message reactions and threading
• User presence indicators
• Typing indicators
• Search functionality
• Message pinning
• Notifications
• Rich text formatting