cross-posted from: https://lemm.ee/post/65149489

try using this code do you think it will work?

Below is a minimal example of how you can add a real‐time chat box that only your authenticated users can use. It uses:

  • Node.js + Express for the web server
  • express‐session to track logged-in users
  • Socket.io for real-time messaging

You’ll need to adapt the authentication check to however you store your users (database, JWTs, etc.), but this will give you the core of “only logged‐in folks see/use the chat.”

1. Install dependencies

npm init -y
npm install express express-session socket.io

2. server.js

const express = require('express');
const http    = require('http');
const session = require('express-session');
const SocketIO = require('socket.io');

const app = express();
const server = http.createServer(app);
const io = new SocketIO(server);

// 1) Session middleware
const sessionMiddleware = session({
  secret: 'YOUR_SESSION_SECRET',
  resave: false,
  saveUninitialized: false,
  // store: you can add a store like connect-mongo here
});
app.use(sessionMiddleware);

// 2) Make session available in socket.handshake
io.use((socket, next) => {
  sessionMiddleware(socket.request, socket.request.res || {}, next);
});

// Serve static files (our chat page + JS)
app.use(express.static('public'));

// 3) A simple “login” route for demo purposes.
//    In real life you’d check a DB, hash passwords, etc.
app.get('/login', (req, res) => {
  // e.g. ?user=alice
  const username = req.query.user;
  if (!username) return res.sendStatus(400);
  req.session.user = { name: username };
  res.redirect('/chat.html');
});

// 4) Protect chat page
app.get('/chat.html', (req, res, next) => {
  if (!req.session.user) return res.redirect('/login.html');
  next();
});

// 5) Handle socket connections
io.on('connection', socket => {
  const req = socket.request;
  if (!req.session.user) {
    // kick out any un‐authenticated socket
    return socket.disconnect(true);
  }

  const user = req.session.user.name;
  socket.broadcast.emit('message', {
    from: 'SYSTEM',
    text: `${user} has joined the chat`
  });

  socket.on('message', msg => {
    io.emit('message', {
      from: user,
      text: msg
    });
  });

  socket.on('disconnect', () => {
    socket.broadcast.emit('message', {
      from: 'SYSTEM',
      text: `${user} has left the chat`
    });
  });
});

server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Listening on http://localhost:3000/');
});

3. public/chat.html

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
  <meta charset="utf-8">
  <title>Chat Room</title>
  <style>
    #messages { list-style: none; padding: 0; max-height: 300px; overflow-y: scroll; }
    #messages li { margin: 5px 0; }
    #form { display: flex; }
    #input { flex: 1; }
  </style>
</head>
<body>
  <h1>Chat Room</h1>
  <ul id="messages"></ul>
  <form id="form">
    <input id="input" autocomplete="off" placeholder="Type a message…" /><button>Send</button>
  </form>

  <script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
  <script>
    const socket = io();

    const form = document.getElementById('form');
    const input = document.getElementById('input');
    const messages = document.getElementById('messages');

    socket.on('message', msg => {
      const li = document.createElement('li');
      li.textContent = `${msg.from}: ${msg.text}`;
      messages.appendChild(li);
      messages.scrollTop = messages.scrollHeight;
    });

    form.addEventListener('submit', e => {
      e.preventDefault();
      if (input.value.trim()) {
        socket.emit('message', input.value);
        input.value = '';
      }
    });
  </script>
</body>
</html>

4. How It Works

  1. Session setup We use express-session so that when a user “logs in” (e.g. via your existing form/database), we store { user: { name: '…' } } in req.session.

  2. Socket authentication By re-using the same session middleware in Socket.io’s io.use(…), every incoming socket has access to socket.request.session. If there’s no session.user, we immediately disconnect() them.

  3. Real-time chat

    • On connect/disconnect we broadcast a system message.
    • On client‐side, every message the user sends is emitted and broadcast to all.

  4. Protecting the page We guard chat.html in Express so that if you go there directly, you’ll get bounced to /login.html (you’d build a real login page).

Next Steps

  • Integrate with your real user database. Replace the demo /login route with your own logic.
  • Persist chat history if you want to store messages (e.g. in MongoDB or MySQL).
  • Add rooms or private messaging by namespace or room support in Socket.io.
  • Style it and embed it in your existing layout (lemm.ee) CSS.
  • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
    8·
    10 days ago

    This is not NodeJS, so it won’t work that way. Also tracks users a different way. Also this is the Fediverse community and this doesn’t federate.

      • Nighed@feddit.ukEnglish
        17·
        10 days ago

        No.

        People (mostly) use sites like this because of the threaded discussions.

        It would also be hell to moderate.

      • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
        6·
        10 days ago

        You’d need to change the idea a lot and make it more specific. This way it’s not a good idea. I guess a local instance chat could be useful for some specific things? But then this is a platform to discuss underneath posts in communities. So we can already talk to each other…

        • AbuTahir@lemm.eeOPEnglish
          1·
          10 days ago

          yes i meant separate instance also we just have to put this, dark souls wiki also uses it

          You don’t need to rewrite the whole page—just inject the pieces for Socket .io and your chat UI where indicated. Here’s exactly what to add or change in existing HTML (THIS PAGE):

          1. Include Socket.IO on the client

          Find the closing </head> tag and just before it insert:

            <!-- Socket.IO client library (served automatically by your server) -->
  <script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
  <!-- Optional: simple styles for the chat box -->
  <style>
    #chat-container {
      position: fixed;
      bottom: 0;
      right: 0;
      width: 300px;
      max-height: 400px;
      background: white;
      border: 1px solid #ccc;
      display: flex;
      flex-direction: column;
      font-family: sans-serif;
      z-index: 1000;
    }
    #chat-messages {
      flex: 1;
      overflow-y: auto;
      padding: 8px;
    }
    #chat-form {
      display: flex;
      border-top: 1px solid #eee;
    }
    #chat-input {
      flex: 1;
      border: none;
      padding: 8px;
    }
    #chat-send {
      border: none;
      padding: 8px 12px;
      cursor: pointer;
    }
  </style>
</head>

          2. Add the chat HTML

          Find the closing </body> tag and just before it paste:

            <!-- Chat widget -->
  <div id="chat-container">
    <div id="chat-messages"></div>
    <form id="chat-form">
      <input id="chat-input" autocomplete="off" placeholder="Type a message…" />
      <button type="submit" id="chat-send">Send</button>
    </form>
  </div>

          3. Wire up the client-side JavaScript

          Right below that (still before </body>), add:

            <script>
    // connect using the global io() function
    const socket = io();

    const form = document.getElementById('chat-form');
    const input = document.getElementById('chat-input');
    const messages = document.getElementById('chat-messages');

    // render incoming messages
    socket.on('message', ({ from, text }) => {
      const div = document.createElement('div');
      div.textContent = from + ': ' + text;
      messages.appendChild(div);
      messages.scrollTop = messages.scrollHeight;
    });

    // on submit send to server
    form.addEventListener('submit', e => {
      e.preventDefault();
      const msg = input.value.trim();
      if (!msg) return;
      socket.emit('message', msg);
      input.value = '';
    });
  </script>
</body>
</html>

          4. Ensure your server is serving this page and Socket.IO

          On your Node/Express server (the same one you use to serve the Lemmy/lemm.ee front-end), you need to:

          1. Install Socket.IO:

            npm install socket.io

          2. Hook it up to your HTTP server (roughly as in the example I shared before), making sure you share sessions so only logged-in users connect.

            The minimal changes in your server.js (or equivalent) are:

            const http = require('http');
const socketIO = require('socket.io');
// … your existing Express `app`

const server = http.createServer(app);
const io = socketIO(server);

// (if you have session middleware already:)
io.use((socket, next) => {
  // reuse your Express session middleware here…
  sessionMiddleware(socket.request, socket.request.res || {}, next);
});

io.on('connection', socket => {
  const user = socket.request.session.user; 
  if (!user) return socket.disconnect(true);

  socket.broadcast.emit('message', {
    from: 'SYSTEM',
    text: `${user.name} joined.`
  });

  socket.on('message', msg => {
    io.emit('message', { from: user.name, text: msg });
  });

  socket.on('disconnect', () => {
    io.emit('message', {
      from: 'SYSTEM',
      text: `${user.name} left.`
    });
  });
});

server.listen(3000);

          Summary of “what changed” in your HTML

          1. Head: added <script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"> + minimal CSS
          2. Body: injected a <div id="chat-container">…</div> chat widget
          3. Footer: added a <script>…</script> block to wire up io()

          With those three small patches, your existing site will host a floating chat box that’s only usable by authenticated users. Let me know if you need help wiring up the session middleware or adjusting the styles!

          • hendrik@palaver.p3x.deEnglish
            9·
            10 days ago

            This uses Cargo and Rust. Not npm and NodeJS… I mean go ahead and try, this is an entirely different programming language. Nothing in your comment will do anything. It is like if you were talking Portuguese to someone who only understands English. So I think you can skip the long non-working code examples. Focus on the idea insted, flesh it out and contribute that.

  • froufox@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    7·
    10 days ago

    You can fork the Lemmy repo and play with it. As people here already said, it’s Rust, so you have to adapt your code. Create your feature request, discuss it with the developers community, prepare the pull request—that’s how it usually done

  • Jim East@slrpnk.netEnglish
    4·
    10 days ago

    slrpnk.net already has its own XMPP chat option where one’s Lemmy username (e.g. [email protected]) is one’s XMPP address, and I imagine that other instances could do something similar if they wanted. XMPP is federated, so it doesn’t require any Lemmy-side coding for the federation aspect. For instance-wide chat (visible to all users of the instance), an implementation in XMPP would probably be easier as well, perhaps using some form of the group chat functionality. What does your proposal offer that cannot be done using XMPP?

  • Rob299 - she/her@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
    1·
    10 days ago

    The issue with chat is that they are harder to moderate and if a chat ends mods probably wouldn’t get to review the chat history. Some users might try using it to hide secrets. (particularly maga or hateful content against minorities among others)