🔐 SecureChat

Secure messaging app with collaborative features and Mobile/Web support.

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📖 Overview

SecureChat is a privacy-focused, end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) real-time messaging application for web and Mobile supporting text messaging, group communication, media sharing, and peer-to-peer voice/video calls.

This project was developed as my final year project in university exploring secure, accessible and scalable communication systems with self hosting support.

The application consists of:

• A React Native (Expo) front-end for web and mobile support.
• A Python-based back-end.

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Table of Contents

• Images
• Features
• Architecture Overview
• Project Structure
• Running the Project Locally
  • Run the Frontend
  • Run the Backend
• Running with Docker
  • Prerequisites — Install Docker
  • Running the App
  • Useful Docker Commands
  • Troubleshooting
• API Overview
• Development Requirements

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Images

Login Page

Server Chat Page

Add Friends

Server Settings Page

Voice and Voice Calling

Blanked for privacy :)

Collaborative Document and Whiteboard editing

AI message summary

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Features

• End-to-End Encrypted Messaging (E2EE)
• Real-time messaging using WebSockets
• Group chats with role-based permissions
• Encrypted file and image sharing
• Peer-to-peer voice and video calls (WebRTC)
• Real-time collaborative document editing
• Cross-platform support (Web + Mobile-ready architecture)
• JWT-based authentication & secure session handling
• Self-hosting support

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Architecture Overview

The system follows a modular Client → Server → Database architecture:

• Frontend: React Native + Expo
• Backend: Python (FastAPI + Socket.IO)
• Database: SQLite
• Encryption: Client-side public/private key cryptography
• Real-time Communication: WebSockets + WebRTC

All encryption occurs client-side. The backend only routes encrypted payloads and stores minimal metadata.

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Project Structure

• /frontend → React frontend application
• /backend → Python FastAPI backend

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Running the Project Locally

1️⃣ Run the Frontend

Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd frontend

npm install

npm run dev

2️⃣ Run the Backend

Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd backend

python -m venv venv

Activate the virtual environment:

On MacOS/Linux

source venv/bin/activate

On Windows

venv\Scripts\activate

Then Install the requiements and run the backend.

pip install -r requirements.txt

#Local Only
uvicorn main:app --reload

#Or if you want other devices to be able to communicate with the backend.
uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0

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Running with Docker

Docker lets you run the entire app (frontend + backend) in isolated containers with a single command — no need to install Node.js, Python, or any dependencies manually.

Prerequisites — Install Docker

You only need one thing installed: Docker Desktop (which includes both docker and docker compose).

macOS

1. Go to https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
2. Click Download for Mac (choose Apple Silicon if you have an M1/M2/M3/M4 Mac, or Intel for older Macs)
   • Not sure which? Click the Apple logo top-left → About This Mac → look for "Apple M..." or "Intel"
3. Open the downloaded .dmg file
4. Drag Docker into Applications
5. Open Docker Desktop from Applications — it will ask for your password to finish setup
6. Wait until the Docker icon in the menu bar shows a steady state (not animating)
7. Open Terminal and verify it works:

   docker --version
   docker compose version

   You should see version numbers for both. If you get "command not found", restart your terminal.

Windows

1. Enable WSL 2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) — Docker needs this:
   • Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click Start → "Terminal (Admin)" or "PowerShell (Admin)")
   • Run:

     wsl --install

   • Restart your computer when prompted
   • After reboot, a Ubuntu window may open asking you to create a username/password — do so (this is just for WSL, pick anything)
2. Go to https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/
3. Click Download for Windows
4. Run the installer (.exe file) — keep all defaults, make sure "Use WSL 2" is checked
5. Restart your computer if prompted
6. Open Docker Desktop — let it finish starting up (the whale icon in the system tray should stop animating)
7. Open Command Prompt or PowerShell and verify:

   docker --version
   docker compose version

   Both should return version numbers. If not, restart your terminal or PC.

Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)

1. Open a terminal and run these commands one by one:

   # Update your package list
   sudo apt update
   
   # Install prerequisites
   sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg
   
   # Add Docker's official GPG key
   sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
   curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
   sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
   
   # Add Docker's repository
   echo \
     "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
     $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
     sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
   
   # Install Docker Engine + Compose
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

2. Allow your user to run Docker without sudo:

   sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

   Log out and log back in (or restart) for this to take effect.

3. Verify installation:

   docker --version
   docker compose version

Fedora/Arch/other distros: See the official Docker docs for your specific distro.

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Running the App

1. Clone the repository (or download and extract the ZIP):

   git clone https://github.com/JaredWestley/Encrypted-Messaging-App.git
   cd Encrypted-Messaging-App

2. (Optional) Create a .env file in the project root to customise settings:

   # .env (create this file next to docker-compose.yml)
   SECRET_KEY=your-secret-key-here
   MINIMAX_API_KEY=your-api-key-here
   FRONTEND_PORT=3000
   BACKEND_PORT=8000

   If you skip this step, defaults will be used (which is fine for local testing).

3. Build and start both containers:

   docker compose up --build

   The first build takes a few minutes (downloading base images and installing dependencies). Subsequent starts are much faster.

4. Open the app in your browser:

   • Frontend: http://localhost:3000
   • Backend API: http://localhost:8000

5. Stop the app by pressing Ctrl + C in the terminal, or run:

   docker compose down

Useful Docker Commands

Command	What It Does
docker compose up --build	Build images and start the app
docker compose up -d	Start in the background (detached)
docker compose down	Stop and remove containers
docker compose logs -f	View live logs from both services
docker compose logs backend	View only backend logs
docker compose ps	Check which containers are running
docker compose down -v	Stop and delete all data (database, uploads)

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
"docker: command not found"	Make sure Docker Desktop is installed and running. Restart your terminal.
"permission denied" on Linux	Run sudo usermod -aG docker $USER then log out and back in.
Port 3000 or 8000 already in use	Change the ports in your .env file: FRONTEND_PORT=3001
Containers exit immediately	Check logs with docker compose logs for error details.
"WSL 2 is not installed" on Windows	Run wsl --install in PowerShell as Admin, then restart.
Changes not showing after code edit	Run docker compose up --build to rebuild with your changes.

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API Overview

Authentication

• POST /api/auth/register - Register a new user
• POST /api/auth/login - Login and receive acess + refresh tokens
• POST /api/auth/logout - Invalidate current session token
• POST /api/auth/refresh - Exchange refresh token for new access token

Users

• GET /api/users/me - Get current user profile
• PUT /api/users/me - Update profile (username, bio, etc.)
• PUT /api/users/me/icon - Upload proile picture

Servers

• GET /api/servers - List all servers the user is in
• POST /api/servers - Create a new server
• GET /api/servers/{server_id} - Get server details
• PUT /api/servers/{server_id} - Update server settings
• DELETE /api/servers/{server_id} - Delete a server
• GET /api/servers/{server_id}/users - List server members
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/kick - Kick a member
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/ban - Ban a member
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/leave - Leave a server
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/generate-invite - Generate invite link
• POST /api/invite/{invite_token} - Join server via invite

Messages

• GET /api/messages - Fetch messages for a server
• POST /api/messages - Send a message to a server
• PUT /api/messages/{message_id} - Edit a message
• DELETE /api/messages/{message_id} - Delete a message
• POST /api/messages/{message_id}/reactions - Add a reaction to a message
• POST /api/messages/summarize - AI summarise a message thread

Direct Messages

• GET /api/conversations - List all DM conversations
• POST /api/conversations - Start a new DM conversation
• GET /api/conversations/{conversation_id}/messages - Get messages in a conversation
• POST /api/conversations/{conversation_id}/messages - Send a DM

Friends

• POST /api/friends/request - Send a friend request
• POST /api/friends/{friendship_id}/accept - Accept a friend request
• POST /api/friends/{friendship_id}/reject - Reject a friend request
• GET /api/friends - List friends

Roles & Permissions

• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/roles - Create a role
• PUT /api/servers/{server_id}/roles/{role_id} - Update a role
• DELETE /api/servers/{server_id}/roles/{role_id} - Delete a role
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/roles/assign - Assign a role to a member
• GET /api/roles/permissions - List all available permissions

File Attachments

• POST /api/attachments/upload - Upload a file attachment
• GET /api/attachments/{attachment_id} - Download an attachment

Encryption Keys

• POST /api/keys/public - Upload user's public key
• GET /api/keys/public/{user_id} - Get a user's public key
• GET /api/keys/server/{server_id} - Get server encryption key
• POST /api/keys/server - Upload server encryption key

Voice Channels

• GET /api/servers/{server_id}/voice-channels - List voice channels in a server
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/voice-channels - Create a voice channel
• DELETE /api/voice-channels/{channel_id} - Delete a voice channel

Collaborative Documents

• GET /api/servers/{server_id}/documents - List documents in a server
• POST /api/servers/{server_id}/documents - Create a document
• GET /api/documents/{document_id} - Get a document
• PUT /api/documents/{document_id} - Update a document
• DELETE /api/documents/{document_id} - Delete a document
• GET /api/documents/{document_id}/versions - List document version history

Messaging (WebSocket)

• WS /api/ws/{server_id} - real time server chat connection
• WS /api/ws/dm - real time direct message connection

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Development Requirements

• Node.js v20.9+
• Python 3.10+
• npm
• pip

Run frontend and backend in separate terminals.