Secure Messaging API

A production-ready, fast, and secure messaging API similar to WhatsApp with advanced features including group chats, communities, channels, and status updates.

Features

Core Features

• User registration with unique IDs
• Secure message sending (text, image, video, document, link)
• Fast chat history retrieval
• Message delivery status tracking
• Typing indicators

Group Chat

• Create and manage groups
• Group messaging with E2E encryption
• Admin controls and member management
• Message reactions and replies

Communities and Channels

• Create communities with multiple channels
• Public and private channels
• Channel moderation
• Pinned messages

Status Updates

• WhatsApp-style status updates with text, images, and videos
• Control visibility (all, contacts, specific users)
• View status viewers
• Auto-expiry after 24 hours (configurable)

Media Support

• Secure file uploads with validation
• Media serving with thumbnails
• Security scanning for malicious content

Security

• End-to-end encryption (AES-256 + RSA)
• Message hashing for tamper detection
• Rate limiting and spam protection

Advanced Features

• Message timestamps (sent, delivered, seen)
• Message replies, reactions, and deletion
• Redis caching for performance
• File scanning & sanitization

Analytics & Control

• Message statistics
• User blocking and muting
• Activity tracking

Tech Stack

• Node.js & Express
• MongoDB for persistent storage
• Redis for caching and real-time features
• Socket.io for real-time communication
• Crypto for end-to-end encryption

API Endpoints

User Management

• POST /api/users/register - Register a new user
• POST /api/users/block - Block a user
• POST /api/users/unblock - Unblock a user
• POST /api/users/mute - Mute a user

Direct Messaging

• POST /api/messages/send - Send a message
• GET /api/messages/:userId/:recipientId - Get chat history
• POST /api/messages/typing - Send typing indicator
• POST /api/messages/reply - Reply to a message
• POST /api/messages/react - React to a message
• POST /api/messages/delete - Delete a message
• POST /api/messages/schedule - Schedule a message

Group Management

• POST /api/groups/create - Create a new group
• GET /api/groups/:groupId - Get group details
• POST /api/groups/members/add - Add members to a group
• POST /api/groups/members/remove - Remove a member from a group
• POST /api/groups/settings - Update group settings
• POST /api/groups/members/role - Change a member's role
• GET /api/groups/user/:userId - Get user's groups
• POST /api/groups/delete - Delete a group

Group Messaging

• POST /api/group-messages/send - Send a message to a group
• GET /api/group-messages/:groupId - Get group messages
• POST /api/group-messages/react - React to a group message
• POST /api/group-messages/delete - Delete a group message
• POST /api/group-messages/status - Update message status

Communities

• POST /api/communities/create - Create a new community
• GET /api/communities/:communityId - Get community details
• POST /api/communities/join - Join a community
• POST /api/communities/leave - Leave a community
• POST /api/communities/channel/create - Create a channel
• GET /api/communities/:communityId/channels - Get community channels
• GET /api/communities/user/:userId - Get user's communities

Channel Messaging

• POST /api/channel-messages/send - Send a message to a channel
• GET /api/channel-messages/:channelId - Get channel messages
• POST /api/channel-messages/pin - Pin a channel message
• GET /api/channel-messages/:channelId/pinned - Get pinned messages

Status Updates

• POST /api/statuses/create - Create a status update
• GET /api/statuses/user/:userId - Get user's statuses
• GET /api/statuses/:statusId - Get status details
• POST /api/statuses/delete - Delete a status
• GET /api/statuses/:statusId/viewers - Get status viewers

Media

• POST /api/media/upload - Upload media file
• GET /api/media/:fileId - Get media file

Status

• POST /api/status - Update message status
• GET /api/status/:messageId - Get message status

Analytics

• GET /api/analytics/user/:userId - Get user statistics
• GET /api/analytics/active-chats/:userId - Get active chats
• GET /api/analytics/message-count/:userId - Get message count

Setup and Installation

1. Clone the repository
2. Copy .env.example to .env and configure environment variables
3. Install dependencies: npm install
4. Start MongoDB and Redis
5. Run the server: npm start

Security Considerations

• All messages are end-to-end encrypted
• Files are scanned for malware
• Rate limiting prevents abuse
• Message integrity is verified with hashing

Performance Optimizations

• Redis caching for fast message retrieval
• Efficient database indexing
• Scheduled cleanup jobs for expired content
• Optimized file storage and delivery

License

MIT