🚀 WebSocket Messaging Server

⚠️ Important Note: This WebSocket server cannot run on Netlify as it only supports static file hosting. You need to deploy the WebSocket server to a platform that supports Node.js applications.

📋 What This Is

This is a Node.js WebSocket server that enables real-time communication between your Laravel backend and React frontend applications. It acts as a messaging bridge that:

Receives messages from your Laravel backend via HTTP API
Broadcasts messages to all connected React clients
Supports direct messaging to specific users
Tracks user presence (online/offline status)

🚀 Recommended Deployment Platforms

Heroku

Free tier available
Easy Git deployment

Deploy to Heroku →

Railway

Modern platform
GitHub integration

Deploy to Railway →

Render

Free tier available
Auto-deploy from Git

Deploy to Render →

⚡ Quick Setup

Step 1: Download or clone this repository
Step 2: Deploy to one of the platforms above
Step 3: Configure your Laravel and React apps to use the deployed URL
Step 4: Start sending real-time messages!

🔗 Integration

Laravel Backend: Use the HTTP API endpoint POST /api/send-message to send messages

React Frontend: Connect using Socket.IO client to receive real-time messages

📚 Documentation

Complete integration guides and API documentation are included in the repository:

LARAVEL_INTEGRATION.md - How to integrate with Laravel
REACT_INTEGRATION.md - How to integrate with React
README.md - Complete setup and deployment guide

🛠️ API Endpoints

POST /api/send-message - Send messages from Laravel
GET /api/connected-users - Get list of connected users
GET /health - Health check

💡 Need Help? Check the documentation files or contact your developer for assistance with deployment and integration.