Connectly

A language exchange social platform where you can find native speakers, chat in real time, and hop on video calls.

What it does

• Auth with JWT stored in httpOnly cookies — signup, login, logout, onboarding flow
• Friend system — send/accept requests, browse recommended users by language profile
• Real-time messaging powered by Stream Chat
• Video calls via Stream Video SDK
• Randomly generated DiceBear avatars on signup

Tech Stack

Backend: Node.js, Express, MongoDB, Mongoose
Frontend: React, TanStack Query, Zustand, DaisyUI, Tailwind
Realtime: Stream Chat & Video SDK

Getting Started

1. Clone the repo
2. Add your .env — MongoDB URI, JWT secret, Stream API key/secret
3. npm install in both /backend and /frontend
4. npm run dev