Building a Real-Time Chat App with WebSockets and React

Real-time features are everywhere, from messaging apps to collaborative tools. In this post, I'll walk through how I built a real-time chat application using Socket.IO on the backend and React on the frontend.

We'll cover:

• Setting up a Socket.IO server with Express
• Managing rooms and private messages
• Handling reconnection and offline states
• Structuring React components for chat UIs

By the end, you'll have a working chat app and a solid understanding of WebSocket-based communication.