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HapPhi Discusses How To Build an Advanced Socket IO-Based Messaging Application in Node.js

Socket.IO is an open-source JavaScript library that allows a server to act as a pubsub (publish/subscribe) hub, or "socket." It's designed to be used with WebSockets, but it can also work with normal sockets. The server acts as a hub where users can send messages to a group of subscribers. You will use Socket.IO to build an app where users can send messages to each other.

Written by
June 15, 2022

Sockets have become the de facto standard for server-to-server communication in the last few years. They are everywhere, and they are fast. As a result, there has been a surge of interest in Socket.IO, the server-side implementation of the HTML5 WebSockets API. If you have used Socket.IO with any success, then congratulations! You are ready to take your next step into the world of advanced Socket.IO development. In this tutorial, you will build a Socket.IO-based messaging application from start to finish. The application will allow users to send and receive messages via Socket.IO, and you will be able to follow along and build it from start to finish yourself.

What You Will Learn


Socket.IO is an open-source JavaScript library that allows a server to act as a pubsub (publish/subscribe) hub, or "socket." It's designed to be used with WebSockets, but it can also work with normal sockets. The server acts as a hub where users can send messages to a group of subscribers. You will use Socket.IO to build an app where users can send messages to each other.


How to Set Up Your Environment


Node.js - Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. It's used to build server-side apps that can take advantage of the JavaScript language's features. NPM - npm is the package manager for Node.js. It allows you to download and manage libraries for Node.js apps.



Getting Started: Install Socket.IO


The first step is to make sure you have Node.js and NPM installed on your computer. Once you have those two dependencies installed, you can install Socket.IO.Node.js users should run this command in their command line or terminal:



Install Socket.IO on Node.js


npm install socket.io


Step 1 – Create a New Message View


The first page the users will see is a list of messages. The list will be sortable and searchable, so users can easily find messages that they are interested in. To create the list, create a new file called messages.js and add the following code:

Note: You can name the files anything you want as long as they follow the same file structure throughout the project. Here, we will be using messages.js because it's the simplest. You will notice that the code is almost a copy-and-paste from the Socket.IO code-sample. That's because Socket.IO has a great many features, and this is just one of them.




Step 2 – Create a New Message Model


The message model will represent each individual message. Users will be able to view all of the details for a specific message, such as who sent it, when it was sent, and how long ago it was sent. Create a new file called messages.js and add the following code:



Step 3 – Create a New Message Send View


The message send view will let users view and edit their own messages. The code will look almost identical to the code you just added to the messages.js model. Create a new file called messages.js and add the following code:



Step 4 – Create a New Message Send Model


The last model you will create will be the message send model. The send model will have the same code that you just added to the messages.js file. Create a new file called messages.js and add the following code:



Conclusion


Now that you have set up your project, it's time to send and receive messages!


Send a Message


Open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000/send . Type in a message and hit Send. The message will be sent to the server and displayed in the browser.


Receive a Message


In the browser, navigate to http://localhost:3000/ . Click the name of the user that sent you the message. The details for the message will be displayed in the browser. Your application is now ready to users!



What You Will Learn


In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up your environment and get a Socket.IO-based messaging application project up and running. You will learn the basics of how to build a basic application with Socket.IO, and you will add the features you need to build a full-featured messaging application.



How to Set Up Your Environment


Node.js - Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. It's used to build server-side apps that can take advantage of the JavaScript language's features. NPM - npm is the package manager for Node.js. It allows you to download and manage libraries for Node.js apps.



Getting Started: Install Socket.IO


Node.js users should run this command in their command line or terminal:


Install Socket.IO on Node.js


npm install socket.io


Step 1 – Create a New Message View


The first page the users will see is a list of messages. The list will be sortable and searchable, so users can easily find messages that they are interested in. To create the list, create a new file called messages.js and add the following code:

Note: You can name the files anything you want as long as they follow the same file structure throughout the project. Here, we will be using messages.js because it's the simplest. You will notice that the code is almost a copy-and-paste from the Socket.IO code-sample. That's because Socket.IO has a great many features, and this is just one of them.



Step 2 – Create a New Message Model


The message model will represent each individual message. Users will be able to view all of the details for a specific message, such as who sent it, when it was sent, and how long ago it was sent. Create a new file called messages.js and add the following code:



Step 3 – Create a New Message Send View


The message send view will let users view and edit their own messages. The code will look almost identical to the code you just added to the messages.js model.


Create a new file called messages.js and add the following code:


Step 4 – Create a New Message Send Model


The last model you will create will be the message send model. The send model will have the same code that you just added to the messages.js file.


Create a new file called messages.js and add the following code:


Conclusion


Now that you have set up your project, it's time to send and receive messages!


Send a Message


Open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000/send . Type in a message and hit Send. The message will be sent to the server and displayed in the browser.


Receive a Message


In the browser, navigate to http://localhost:3000/ . Click the name of the user that sent you the message. The details for the message will be displayed in the browser.


Your application is now ready to users!


What You Will Learn


In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up your environment and get a Socket.IO-based messaging application project up and running.


You will learn the basics of how to build a basic application with Socket.IO, and you will add the features you need to build a full-featured messaging application.


How to Set Up Your Environment


Node.js - Node.js is a JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine. It's used to build server-side apps that can take advantage of the JavaScript language's features.


NPM - npm is the package manager for Node.js. It allows you to download and manage libraries for Node.js apps.


Getting Started: Install Socket.IO


Node.js users should run this command in their command line or terminal:


Install Socket.IO on Node

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