Introduction

This Laravel application facilitates secure, encrypted messaging between users. It features encrypted messages that expire after a set period or after being read. This README provides detailed instructions for setting up and running the application using Docker or manual setup methods.

Minimum Requirements

PHP: ^8.2
MySQL: ^8.0
Composer
Docker: (if using Docker for setup)
Git

Setup and Run Application

You can set up and run the application in one of two ways: using Docker or a manual setup process.

Method 1: Using Docker

This method simplifies the setup process and manages dependencies through Docker and Docker Compose.

Steps:

Clone the Repository

git clone git@github.com:subtain-haider/secret_messages.git secret_messages
cd secret_messages

Run Docker Compose

docker compose up

This command builds the Docker environment, runs migrations, executes tests, and starts the server. The application will be accessible at http://0.0.0.0:8000

Method 2: Manual Setup

For those preferring a manual setup without Docker.

Steps:

Clone the Repository

git clone git@github.com:subtain-haider/secret_messages.git secret_messages
cd secret_messages

Configure Environment

Copy the .env.example file to create a .env file:

cp .env.example .env

Open the .env file and adjust the database credentials and any other environment-specific settings.

Install Dependencies

composer install

Generate Application Key

php artisan key:generate

Running Migrations

php artisan migrate

This command sets up your database schema.

Run the Application

php artisan serve

This will start the Laravel development server, typically accessible at http://127.0.0.1:8000

Important Commands

Running Tests

./vendor/bin/phpunit

Use this command to run the PHPUnit tests and ensure all components are functioning correctly.

Notes

Ensure that all required PHP extensions are installed. For manual setup, you might need to install extensions like PHP GD, mbstring, and others depending on your PHP environment.
When using Docker, the docker compose up command handles all setup steps, including running migrations and tests. Check Docker logs for any setup or test execution errors.