WittyBanter - Real-time Chat Application - PoC

This is a proof of concept (PoC) project for a real-time chat application built using AWS services. The backend is powered by AWS AppSync as a GraphQL service, and AWS Cognito provides authentication and authorization. The database backend is managed by DynamoDB. The front end is built with React and TypeScript.

Architecture

Features

• Real-time chat: Users can send and receive messages in real-time.
• Authentication: Users are required to log in to the application using AWS Cognito.
• Authorization: AWS Cognito is used to control access to the application and its features.
• GraphQL API: The backend is powered by AWS AppSync, which provides a GraphQL API for the front end.
• DynamoDB backend: The application uses DynamoDB as its database backend to store messages and user data.

Prerequisites

• AWS account
• Node.js
• NPM
• Amplify CLI
• React
• TypeScript

Setup

1. Clone the repository to your local machine.

2. Run npm i to install the required dependencies.

3. Run amplify init to initialize the Amplify project.

4. Run amplify add api to create an AWS AppSync API. Follow the prompts to set up the GraphQL API.

5. Run amplify add auth to add authentication and authorization to the project using AWS Cognito.

6. Run amplify add storage to add a DynamoDB backend to the project.

7. Run amplify push to deploy the changes to the AWS cloud.

8. Start the front-end development server by running npm run dev.

Usage

1. Register a new user by clicking the "Create Account" button.
2. Log in to the application using the newly created user.
3. Use a different browser or incognito window to log in as a different user.
4. Create a new chat room by clicking the "Create Room" button.
5. Select a chat room from the list of available rooms.
6. Send a message to the chat room.

Conclusion

This PoC project demonstrates the capabilities of AWS services for building a real-time chat application. By using AWS AppSync, AWS Cognito, and DynamoDB, the application is scalable, secure, and provides a fast and seamless user experience. The use of React and TypeScript for the front end provides a modern and responsive user interface.

Notes

This project was designed to showcase the versatility and power of AWS services in a short amount of time, while also highlighting my capabilities to design and implement highly scalable applications on the AWS cloud. Although the front-end code organization and user interface may not meet industry standards, the underlying architecture for the backend and integration with the front end through AppSync subscriptions are designed for scalability, security, and cost-effectiveness. Whether serving one user or millions, this proof of concept demonstrates my expertise in utilizing AWS to build robust and scalable real-time chat applications.