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Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp · Lección

Construcción de una aplicación de chat en tiempo real

Desarrolle una aplicación de chat en tiempo real completamente funcional para consolidar su comprensión de WebSockets y Socket.IO.

Construcción de una aplicación de chat en tiempo real es una lección gratuita de Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp en CoddyKit. Esta es la lección 5 de 6. Puedes leer la lección completa abajo gratuitamente — luego la practicas en el navegador con un editor de código integrado y un tutor de IA 24/7. Forma parte de la ruta de aprendizaje de Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp, y tu progreso se sincroniza en la web y la app de CoddyKit. El curso de Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp incluye 6 lecciones en total.

Partes de esta lección aún no han sido traducidas y se muestran en inglés.

Build a Real-time Chat App

Welcome! In this lesson, we'll bring together your knowledge of WebSockets and Socket.IO to build a practical real-time chat application.

This hands-on project will solidify your understanding of how clients and servers communicate instantly, making live interactions possible.

Server Setup: Express & Socket.IO

First, let's set up our Node.js server using Express and integrate Socket.IO. This foundation will handle our HTTP requests for serving the HTML page and establish real-time WebSocket connections.

Remember to install dependencies: npm install express socket.io

const express = require('express');
const http = require('http');
const { Server } = require('socket.io');

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

// Serve our HTML file
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.sendFile(__dirname + '/index.html');
});

// Listen for new Socket.IO connections
io.on('connection', (socket) => {
  console.log('A user connected');
});

// Start the server
server.listen(3000, () => {
  console.log('Listening on *:3000');
});

Handling User Connections

When a client successfully connects to our Socket.IO server, a 'connection' event is emitted. Similarly, when a client closes their browser or loses connection, a 'disconnect' event occurs.

These events allow us to track who is currently online.

const express = require('express');
const http = require('http');
const { Server } = require('socket.io');

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

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.sendFile(__dirname + '/index.html');
});

io.on('connection', (socket) => {
  console.log('A user connected');

  // Listen for client disconnections
  socket.on('disconnect', () => {
    console.log('User disconnected');
  });
});

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

Broadcasting Chat Messages

For a chat application, when one user sends a message, it needs to be seen by all other connected users. We achieve this by listening for a 'chat message' event from a client and then using io.emit() to broadcast it to everyone.

const express = require('express');
const http = require('http');
const { Server } = require('socket.io');

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

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.sendFile(__dirname + '/index.html');
});

io.on('connection', (socket) => {
  console.log('A user connected');

  // Listen for 'chat message' from this client
  socket.on('chat message', (msg) => {
    console.log('message: ' + msg);
    io.emit('chat message', msg); // Broadcast to all connected clients
  });

  socket.on('disconnect', () => {
    console.log('User disconnected');
  });
});

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

Client-Side HTML Structure

Now, let's create a simple index.html file. This will be the user interface for our chat application. It needs an input field to type messages and a list (<ul>) to display them.

Crucially, include the Socket.IO client library script via /socket.io/socket.io.js!

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
  <head>
    <title>CoddyKit Chat</title>
    <style>
      body { margin: 0; padding-bottom: 3rem; font-family: sans-serif; }
      #form { background: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.15); padding: 0.25rem; position: fixed; bottom: 0; left: 0; right: 0; display: flex; height: 3rem; box-sizing: border-box; backdrop-filter: blur(10px); }
      #input { border: none; padding: 0 1rem; flex-grow: 1; border-radius: 2rem; margin: 0.25rem; }
      #input:focus { outline: none; }
      #form > button { background: #333; border: none; padding: 0 1rem; margin: 0.25rem; border-radius: 3px; outline: none; color: #fff; }
      #messages { list-style-type: none; margin: 0; padding: 0; }
      #messages > li { padding: 0.5rem 1rem; }
      #messages > li:nth-child(odd) { background: #eee; }
    </style>
  </head>
  <body>
    <ul id="messages"></ul>
    <form id="form">
      <input id="input" autocomplete="off" /><button>Send</button>
    </form>
    <script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
    <!-- Client-side JavaScript will go here -->
  </body>
</html>

Client: Sending & Receiving Messages

Now, we add JavaScript to our index.html. This script will:

  • Connect to the Socket.IO server.
  • Emit a 'chat message' event when the form is submitted.
  • Listen for incoming 'chat message' events and display them.

The io() function automatically connects to the server where the script is served from.

<!-- ... (inside index.html, before </body>) ... -->
    <script src="/socket.io/socket.io.js"></script>
    <script>
      const socket = io(); // Connect to the Socket.IO server

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

      // Send message when form is submitted
      form.addEventListener('submit', (e) => {
        e.preventDefault(); // Prevent page reload
        if (input.value) {
          socket.emit('chat message', input.value); // Emit event to server
          input.value = ''; // Clear input field
        }
      });

      // Listen for incoming messages and display them
      socket.on('chat message', (msg) => {
        const item = document.createElement('li');
        item.textContent = msg;
        messages.appendChild(item);
        window.scrollTo(0, document.body.scrollHeight);
      });
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

Adding User Nicknames (Server)

To make the chat more personal, let's add user nicknames. On the server, we can store a nickname for each connected socket. We'll introduce a new event, 'set nickname', for clients to send their chosen name.

This nickname will then be included with their messages.

const express = require('express');
const http = require('http');
const { Server } = require('socket.io');

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

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.sendFile(__dirname + '/index.html');
});

io.on('connection', (socket) => {
  let nickname = 'Anonymous'; // Default nickname for new connections

  socket.on('set nickname', (name) => {
    nickname = name;
    console.log(`${nickname} connected`);
    io.emit('chat message', `${nickname} joined the chat`);
  });

  socket.on('chat message', (msg) => {
    io.emit('chat message', `${nickname}: ${msg}`); // Prepend nickname to message
  });

  socket.on('disconnect', () => {
    console.log(`${nickname} disconnected`);
    io.emit('chat message', `${nickname} left the chat`);
  });
});

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

Client: Setting & Displaying Nicknames

On the client side, we need to ask the user for a nickname when they first connect and then emit this to the server using our new 'set nickname' event. We'll also update the client-side display to show messages with the sender's nickname.

<!-- ... (inside index.html, before </body>) ... -->
    <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');

      // Prompt for nickname on connection
      let nickname = prompt('Please enter your nickname:');
      if (!nickname) nickname = 'Guest' + Math.floor(Math.random() * 1000);
      socket.emit('set nickname', nickname); // Send nickname to server

      form.addEventListener('submit', (e) => {
        e.preventDefault();
        if (input.value) {
          socket.emit('chat message', input.value);
          input.value = '';
        }
      });

      socket.on('chat message', (msg) => {
        const item = document.createElement('li');
        item.textContent = msg;
        messages.appendChild(item);
        window.scrollTo(0, document.body.scrollHeight);
      });
    </script>
  </body>
</html>

Tracking Online Users (Bonus)

To enhance our chat, let's add a feature to display who is currently online. The server can maintain a Set of active nicknames and broadcast this list whenever a user connects or disconnects.

Clients will listen for an 'online users' event to update their UI.

const express = require('express');
const http = require('http');
const { Server } = require('socket.io');

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

app.get('/', (req, res) => {
  res.sendFile(__dirname + '/index.html');
});

const onlineUsers = new Set(); // Store nicknames

io.on('connection', (socket) => {
  let nickname = 'Anonymous';

  socket.on('set nickname', (name) => {
    nickname = name;
    onlineUsers.add(nickname);
    io.emit('chat message', `${nickname} joined the chat`);
    io.emit('online users', Array.from(onlineUsers)); // Broadcast updated user list
  });

  socket.on('chat message', (msg) => {
    io.emit('chat message', `${nickname}: ${msg}`);
  });

  socket.on('disconnect', () => {
    onlineUsers.delete(nickname);
    io.emit('chat message', `${nickname} left the chat`);
    io.emit('online users', Array.from(onlineUsers)); // Broadcast updated user list
  });
});

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

Chat App Workflow Check

Consider the complete flow of a message in our Socket.IO chat application, from one client sending it to all other clients receiving it.

Which of the following steps are essential for this real-time communication to occur?

Recap: Building a Chat App

Congratulations! You've successfully built a functional real-time chat application using Node.js, Express, and Socket.IO.

  • We set up the server to handle WebSocket connections and HTTP requests.
  • We implemented broadcasting to send messages to all connected users instantly.
  • We created a client-side interface to send and receive messages dynamically.
  • We enhanced the chat with user nicknames and real-time online user tracking.

This project demonstrates the power of WebSockets and Socket.IO for creating interactive, live experiences.

Preguntas frecuentes

¿La lección «Construcción de una aplicación de chat en tiempo real» es gratis?

Sí — el texto completo de «Construcción de una aplicación de chat en tiempo real» es gratis para leer aquí en la web. Para practicarla de forma interactiva (editor de código integrado y tutor de IA 24/7) y desbloquear el resto del curso de Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp, actualiza a CoddyKit PRO. El curso de Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp incluye 6 lecciones en total.

¿Qué aprenderé en «Construcción de una aplicación de chat en tiempo real»?

Desarrolle una aplicación de chat en tiempo real completamente funcional para consolidar su comprensión de WebSockets y Socket.IO. Practicas Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp con código real que ejecutas directamente en el navegador, y un tutor de IA 24/7 responde tus preguntas mientras trabajas en la lección.

¿Necesito experiencia previa para empezar Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp?

No se requiere experiencia previa. Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp en CoddyKit está estructurado para principiantes hasta estudiantes avanzados, así que puedes empezar aquí o desde el inicio y avanzar a tu ritmo. Esta es la lección 5 de 6.

¿Cuánto tiempo toma la lección «Construcción de una aplicación de chat en tiempo real»?

La mayoría de las lecciones de CoddyKit toman alrededor de 5–10 minutos. Cada una es compacta e interactiva, así que avanzas constantemente y retomas exactamente por donde dejaste en la web y la app.

¿Puedo escribir y ejecutar código en esta lección de Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp?

Sí. Cada lección de Node.js Backend Development Bootcamp incluye un editor de código integrado, así que escribes y ejecutas código real directamente en tu navegador y obtienes retroalimentación instantánea de IA — sin configuración local necesaria.

Todas las lecciones de este curso

  1. Introducción a WebSockets
  2. WebSockets con NestJS
  3. Implementación de Socket.IO en Node.js
  4. Configuración de gateways
  5. Construcción de una aplicación de chat en tiempo real
  6. Aplicación de chat en tiempo real
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