This project is a real-time chat application built with Node.js and Socket.IO, allowing users to send and receive messages instantly. The application has a Node.js backend and a frontend deployed on Vercel, with Socket.IO handling bidirectional communication between the server and connected clients.

Main features:

Real-Time Communication:

Uses WebSockets to send and receive messages instantly between users.

Username Support:

Users can choose a display name to personalise their experience.

Custom Events:

The application uses custom Socket.IO events to send messages together with information about the sender.

This project helped me improve my understanding of WebSockets, Node.js and Socket.IO while gaining more practical full-stack development experience.

**Because the backend uses Render's free service, the application may take around 2 to 3 minutes to become available after a period of inactivity**