Chat Application using Django Channels

This repository contains a simple chat application built with Django Channels. Django Channels extends Django to handle WebSockets, allowing real-time communication between clients and the server.

Features

Real-time chat using WebSockets
User authentication and authorization
Multiple chat rooms
Message history

Requirements

Python 3.x
Django
Channels
Redis (for handling WebSocket connections)

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/chat-application.git

Navigate to the project directory:
```
cd chat-application
```
Install dependencies:
```
pip install -r requirements.txt
```

Make migrations and apply them:

python manage.py makemigrations
python manage.py migrate

Start the Django development server:
```
python manage.py runserver
```
Open your browser and go to http://127.0.0.1:8000 to access the chat application.

Configuration

WebSocket Configuration

Django Channels requires a channel layer to handle WebSocket connections. By default, this application is configured to use Redis as the channel layer. Make sure you have Redis installed and running.

Configure the channel layer in your Django settings:

# settings.py

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # ...
    'channels',
]

# Use channels layer as the default backend for Django
ASGI_APPLICATION = 'your_project.routing.application'

# Use Redis as the channel layer
CHANNEL_LAYERS = {
    'default': {
        'BACKEND': 'channels_redis.core.RedisChannelLayer',
        'CONFIG': {
            "hosts": [('127.0.0.1', 6379)],
        },
    },
}

Routing Configuration

Create a routing.py file in your project directory:

# routing.py

from channels.routing import ProtocolTypeRouter, URLRouter
from channels.auth import AuthMiddlewareStack

application = ProtocolTypeRouter(
    {
        'websocket': AuthMiddlewareStack(
            URLRouter(
                # your routing configuration here
            )
        ),
    }
)

Replace the comment in routing.py with the actual routing configuration for your chat application.

Usage

Create a user account or log in.
Join an existing chat room or create a new one.
Start chatting in real-time!

Feel free to explore the codebase and customize the application to fit your specific requirements. If you have any questions or issues, please open an issue.

Happy chatting!

shahpankaj123/Chat-app-using-Django-channels