Real-Time Chat App with DevOps Integration (14-Day Plan)

You know how important it is to learn by doing, especially in the tech world. That's why I've embarked on this 14-day real-time chat app project. The aim is to build a complete application from scratch, incorporating frontend, backend, database, and DevOps integrations just like a real-world project.

This journey goes beyond just writing code. It’s about comprehending how everything interconnects: how a request travels, how real-time communication functions, how to deploy to the cloud, and how DevOps integrates into the entire process. I anticipate encountering bugs, errors, and plenty of troubleshooting all part of the learning experience.

I'm documenting this process not only as a DevOps enthusiast eager to grow through hands-on experience but also for anyone who wants to learn, follow along, or even build side-by-side. We're in this together and everything I learn, break, and fix will be transparently shared here.

📅 Below is the outline of how each day will run:

Day 1: Project Setup + Backend Initialization

Laying the Foundation: Setting Up Your Node.js Backend

• Initialize a Git repo and push to GitHub

• Set up folder structure: /backend and /frontend

• Initialize Node.js with npm init -y

• Install express, nodemon, cors, dotenv

• Create index.js with basic Express server setup

• Test server with a simple route: GET / returns "API running"

Day 2: Backend Folder Structure + Socket.IO Prep

Structuring and Preparing for Real-Time Communication

• Create folders inside /backend: routes, controllers, services

• Move all logic into appropriate folders

• Install socket.io

• Setup socket.io on the backend

• Confirm real-time communication with test emit from client to server

Day 3: MongoDB Integration

Integrating MongoDB for Data Storage

• Create .env file and store MongoDB URI

• Create User and Message schema in /models

• Connect to MongoDB in index.js

• Test connection and basic CRUD

Day 4: User Authentication (Sign Up & Login)

Implementing Token-Based User Authentication

• Create authRoutes and authController

• Install bcrypt, jsonwebtoken

• Implement password hashing

• Generate JWT on login

• Create endpoints:

  • POST /auth/signup

  • POST /auth/login

Day 5: Chat Message Logic

Handling Chat Logic and Communication

• Add Message routes & controller

• Handle new message saving to DB

• Emit message to receiver using socket.io

• Endpoint:

  • POST /messages

  • GET /messages/:userId

Day 6: Basic Frontend + Socket.IO Client

Creating a Simple Frontend with Real-Time Capabilities. Create basic UI with inputs for email, password, message

• Install socket.io-client

• Connect frontend to socket.io server

• Display real-time messages

Day 7: Dockerize the App

Dockerizing our Chat Application

• Create Dockerfile for backend

• Create docker-compose.yml

• Add MongoDB container

• Test docker-compose up

**Day 8: Push Image to DockerHub

Publishing Your Docker Image to DockerHubCreate DockerHub account**

• Build image: docker build -t yourname/chat-app-backend .

• Tag and push to DockerHub

Day 9: Kubernetes Setup

Setting Up Kubernetes for Your AppCreate k8s/ folder

• Write YAML files:

  • deployment.yaml

  • service.yaml

  • configmap.yaml

Day 10: Deploy to Local Minikube

Local Deployment: Running Kubernetes with Minikube

• Start minikube

• Apply K8s configs: kubectl apply -f k8s/

• Expose service & test in browser

Day 11: Deploy to AWS EKS

Scaling to the Cloud: Deploying our App on AWS EKS

• Set up AWS CLI & IAM roles

• Create EKS cluster

• Use kubectl to deploy app on AWS

• Confirm external access

Day 12: Nginx Ingress Controller

Managing Traffic: Setting Up Nginx Ingress for Routing

• Install Ingress Controller via Helm

• Set up ingress.yaml

• Route frontend and backend using ingress

Day 13: CI/CD with GitHub Actions

Automating Deployments: Implementing CI/CD with GitHub ActionsCreate .github/workflows/deploy.yml

• Set up build, test, and deploy steps

• Add DockerHub or ECR secrets to repo

Day 14: Final Touch, Monitoring & Documentation

Polishing and Monitoring: Finalizing Your App with Documentation and Metrics

• Test all endpoints and real-time features

• Push final code to GitHub

• Write detailed README.md

• Add logging with morgan or winston

• Optionally add Prometheus/Grafana for metrics