Project Overview
This side project is a real-time Slack clone, built with modern web technologies: Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS, Auth.js, and Socket.io. It demonstrates how to create a fully responsive, feature-rich collaboration platform, combining powerful real-time communication features with modern UI design.
The app enables users to:
- Create and manage workspaces
- Invite members to collaborate
- Start channels and threaded conversations
- Share images, react with emojis, and edit messages
- Chat one-on-one in direct messages
- Enjoy a sleek, fully responsive UI that adapts seamlessly across devices
By leveraging WebSockets via Socket.io, the project ensures smooth, real-time updates across users without the need to refresh. Authentication and workspace management are handled with Auth.js, showcasing practical integration of modern authentication patterns. This project not only serves as a functional team chat app but also as an educational tool for learning how to combine front-end and back-end in a modern full stack application.
Future Plans
Looking ahead, I plan to extend this project with additional features and optimizations:
- Voice and video calls using WebRTC
- Rich media previews for shared links and files
- Advanced permissions and roles within workspaces
- AI-assisted features like summarizing threads or suggesting replies
Additionally, I intend to refine and modularize the codebase to make it more maintainable and open for contributions, including:
- Extracting UI components into a design system with Tailwind CSS and Radix UI
- Adding unit and integration tests for critical flows
- Improving accessibility and keyboard navigation
- Deploying scalable back-end infrastructure with serverless functions and a managed database
This evolution will transform the project into a production-grade, open-source Slack alternative, serving as both a showcase of modern full stack development and a valuable reference for developers building collaborative real-time apps.