CBL Chat - Enterprise Chat Application

A real-time chat application with LDAP/Active Directory authentication for enterprise use.

Features

• LDAP/Active Directory Authentication - Seamless integration with domain controllers
• Real-time Messaging - Powered by WebSocket for instant message delivery
• Public & Private Channels - Create channels for teams and departments
• Direct Messages - One-on-one conversations with colleagues
• Typing Indicators - See when others are typing
• User Presence - Online/offline/away status
• Message History - Persistent message storage with PostgreSQL
• Responsive UI - Modern React-based interface
• Secure - JWT authentication, HTTPS support, input validation

Technology Stack

Backend

• Python 3.11+
• FastAPI
• WebSocket
• PostgreSQL
• SQLAlchemy ORM
• LDAP3 Authentication

Frontend

• React 18
• Native WebSocket Client
• Axios
• CSS3

Installation

Option 1: Docker (Recommended)

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd cblchat

2. Create environment file:

cp backend/.env.example .env

3. Edit .env with your configuration:

nano .env

4. Deploy with Docker:

chmod +x deploy.sh
./deploy.sh

The application will be available at http://localhost

Option 2: Manual Installation (Ubuntu)

1. Run the installation script:

chmod +x install.sh
sudo ./install.sh

2. Configure environment variables:

nano backend/.env

3. Run database migrations:

cd backend
npm run migrate
npm run seed
cd ..

4. Start the application:

pm2 start ecosystem.config.js
pm2 save

Configuration

Environment Variables

Backend (.env)

# Server
NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3000
HOST=0.0.0.0

# Database
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=5432
DB_NAME=cblchat
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=your_password

# JWT
JWT_SECRET=your_secret_key_change_this
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=24h

# LDAP/Active Directory
LDAP_URL=ldap://your-dc.local:389
LDAP_BIND_DN=cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com
LDAP_BIND_PASSWORD=your_ldap_password
LDAP_SEARCH_BASE=dc=example,dc=com
LDAP_SEARCH_FILTER=(uid={{username}})
# For Active Directory use: (sAMAccountName={{username}})

# CORS
CORS_ORIGIN=http://localhost

LDAP Configuration

For Active Directory:

LDAP_URL=ldap://dc.company.local:389
LDAP_BIND_DN=cn=ServiceAccount,ou=Users,dc=company,dc=local
LDAP_SEARCH_BASE=dc=company,dc=local
LDAP_SEARCH_FILTER=(sAMAccountName={{username}})

For OpenLDAP:

LDAP_URL=ldap://ldap.company.local:389
LDAP_BIND_DN=cn=admin,dc=company,dc=local
LDAP_SEARCH_BASE=ou=users,dc=company,dc=local
LDAP_SEARCH_FILTER=(uid={{username}})

Nginx Configuration

For production, configure SSL in nginx.conf:

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name chat.company.local;

    ssl_certificate /etc/nginx/ssl/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/nginx/ssl/key.pem;

    # ... rest of configuration
}

Usage

Starting the Application

With Docker:

docker-compose up -d

With PM2:

pm2 start ecosystem.config.js

Development mode:

# Backend
cd backend
npm run dev

# Frontend (in another terminal)
cd frontend
npm start

Managing the Application

View logs:

docker-compose logs -f              # Docker
pm2 logs                            # PM2

Restart:

docker-compose restart              # Docker
pm2 restart all                     # PM2

Stop:

docker-compose down                 # Docker
pm2 stop all                        # PM2

API Endpoints

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/login - User login
• POST /api/auth/logout - User logout
• GET /api/auth/me - Get current user
• PUT /api/auth/profile - Update profile

Rooms

• GET /api/rooms - Get user's rooms
• POST /api/rooms - Create room
• POST /api/rooms/direct - Create direct message
• GET /api/rooms/:id - Get room details
• PUT /api/rooms/:id - Update room
• DELETE /api/rooms/:id - Delete room

Messages

• GET /api/messages/room/:roomId - Get room messages
• POST /api/messages/room/:roomId - Send message
• PUT /api/messages/:id - Edit message
• DELETE /api/messages/:id - Delete message
• GET /api/messages/search - Search messages

Users

• GET /api/users - Get all users
• GET /api/users/:id - Get user by ID

WebSocket Events

Client → Server

• join_rooms - Join multiple rooms
• send_message - Send a message
• typing - User is typing
• stop_typing - User stopped typing
• status_change - Change user status

Server → Client

• new_message - New message received
• user_typing - User is typing
• user_stop_typing - User stopped typing
• message_edited - Message was edited
• message_deleted - Message was deleted
• user_status_change - User status changed

Database Schema

Users

• id, username, displayName, email, department, status, lastSeen, avatarUrl

Rooms

• id, name, description, roomType (public/private/direct), createdBy

Messages

• id, senderId, roomId, recipientId, content, messageType, fileUrl, fileName

RoomMembers

• id, roomId, userId, role (admin/member), lastReadMessageId, joinedAt

Security Considerations

1. SSL/TLS - Always use HTTPS in production
2. JWT Secret - Use a strong, random JWT secret
3. LDAP over SSL - Enable LDAPS for production
4. Rate Limiting - Configured to prevent abuse
5. Input Validation - All inputs are validated
6. CSRF Protection - Enabled for all endpoints
7. Helmet.js - Security headers configured

Troubleshooting

LDAP Connection Issues

# Test LDAP connection
ldapsearch -x -H ldap://your-dc.local:389 -D "cn=admin,dc=example,dc=com" -W -b "dc=example,dc=com"

Database Connection Issues

# Test PostgreSQL connection
psql -h localhost -U cblchat -d cblchat

Port Already in Use

# Find process using port 3000
sudo lsof -i :3000
# Kill the process
sudo kill -9 <PID>

License

MIT

Support

For issues and questions, please open an issue in the repository.