ConnectNow

Simple video meeting app with authentication, room-based video calls, and in-room chat. Built with Express, Socket.IO, MongoDB, and simple-peer for WebRTC.

Features

• Email/password signup/login (JWT + cookies)
• Create or join rooms for WebRTC video calls
• In-room chat panel (per room)
• Status indicator and copyable room code
• MongoDB persistence via Mongoose

Stack

• Node.js, Express
• Socket.IO
• WebRTC via simple-peer
• MongoDB Atlas (or local MongoDB)
• JWT auth, bcrypt password hashing

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+
• MongoDB Atlas cluster (recommended) or local MongoDB

Setup

1. Install deps

npm install

2. Configure environment

• Copy .env.example to .env and set values:

MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://<user>:<password>@<cluster>.mongodb.net/video-call-app?retryWrites=true&w=majority&appName=<app>
JWT_SECRET=replace_with_strong_secret
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:3000
PORT=3002
NODE_ENV=development

• If using Atlas, allow your IP in Network Access and ensure the DB user/password match your URI. URL-encode special characters in the password (@ -> %40, # -> %23, : -> %3A).
• For local MongoDB, use mongodb://127.0.0.1:27017/video-call-app.

3. Run the server

npm start

Server defaults to http://localhost:3002.

Usage

• Open the app, sign up or log in.
• Click Create Room to get a room code (auto-joins); share the code.
• Click Join Room and enter a code to join an existing room.
• Video starts once permissions are granted; use the chat panel to exchange messages within the room.

Scripts

• npm start — run server
• npm run dev — run with nodemon

Troubleshooting

• MongoDB auth/connection errors: verify .env URI, DB user password, and Atlas IP allowlist.
• Camera/mic blocked: allow permissions in the browser and ensure only one tab is using the camera.
• Ports: server defaults to 3002. Client access via the same origin unless you change CORS/CLIENT_URL.

Project structure

• server.js — Express app, Socket.IO, routes
• public/ — frontend (HTML/CSS/JS)
• middleware/auth.js — JWT auth middleware
• models/User.js — Mongoose user schema