Django ChatKit

A production-ready, plug-and-play Django application that provides real-time chat functionality with WebSocket support, multi-file attachments, and a modern Telegram/WhatsApp-inspired user interface.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Requirements
• Installation
• Configuration
• Usage
• Production Deployment
• Advanced Features
• Troubleshooting
• Contributing
• License

Overview

Django ChatKit is a comprehensive real-time messaging solution built on Django Channels. It seamlessly integrates into your existing Django project, providing a complete chat system with minimal configuration. The application features a responsive, modern UI with light/dark theme support and handles both individual and group conversations.

Features

Core Functionality

• Real-time Messaging: WebSocket-based message streaming using Django Channels
• Multi-file Attachments: Send multiple files alongside text messages
• Room-based Architecture: Support for both 1:1 and group conversations
• Message Status: Read receipts and message seen indicators

User Experience

• Modern UI: Clean, responsive interface inspired by popular messaging apps
• Theme Support: Light/dark mode with persistent user preferences
• User Settings: Customizable per-user configuration
• Responsive Design: Optimized for desktop and mobile devices

Technical Features

• Drop-in Integration: Minimal setup required
• Production Ready: Designed for deployment with Redis backend
• Minimal Dependencies: Lightweight and efficient
• Django Admin Integration: Manage rooms and messages through admin interface

Requirements

• Python 3.8 or higher
• Django 3.2 or higher
• Django Channels 4.0 or higher
• Redis (for production deployment)
• PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQLite (database)

Installation

Step 1: Install the Package

Install django-chatkit using pip:

pip install django-chatkit

Step 2: Configure Django Settings

Add the required applications to your INSTALLED_APPS in settings.py:

INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # ... your other apps
    "django.contrib.staticfiles",
    "django.contrib.humanize",
    "channels",
    "chatkit",
]

Configuration

Step 3: Configure ASGI Application

Update your project's asgi.py file to include WebSocket routing:

import os
from django.core.asgi import get_asgi_application
from channels.routing import ProtocolTypeRouter, URLRouter
from channels.auth import AuthMiddlewareStack
import chatkit.routing

os.environ.setdefault("DJANGO_SETTINGS_MODULE", "yourproject.settings")

django_asgi_app = get_asgi_application()

application = ProtocolTypeRouter({
    "http": django_asgi_app,
    "websocket": AuthMiddlewareStack(
        URLRouter(chatkit.routing.websocket_urlpatterns)
    ),
})

Step 4: Configure Channel Layers

Add channel layer configuration to your settings.py.

For Development (in-memory, default):

CHANNEL_LAYERS = {
    "default": {
        "BACKEND": "channels.layers.InMemoryChannelLayer"
    }
}

For Production (Redis recommended):

CHANNEL_LAYERS = {
    "default": {
        "BACKEND": "channels_redis.core.RedisChannelLayer",
        "CONFIG": {"hosts": [("127.0.0.1", 6379)]},
    }
}

Note: For production Redis setup, install channels-redis:

pip install channels-redis

Step 5: Configure URL Routing

Include ChatKit URLs in your project's urls.py:

from django.urls import path, include

urlpatterns = [
    path("chat/", include("chatkit.urls", namespace="chatkit")),
]

Step 6: Configure Static and Media Files

Configure static and media file settings in settings.py for handling file attachments:

STATIC_URL = 'static/'
STATIC_ROOT = BASE_DIR / "staticfiles"

# Additional locations of static files
STATICFILES_DIRS = []

# WhiteNoise configuration for serving static files with ASGI/Daphne
WHITENOISE_USE_FINDERS = True
WHITENOISE_AUTOREFRESH = True  # Auto-refresh in development
STATICFILES_STORAGE = 'whitenoise.storage.CompressedManifestStaticFilesStorage'

MEDIA_URL = "/media/"
MEDIA_ROOT = BASE_DIR / "media"

Update Middleware for WhiteNoise:

MIDDLEWARE = [
    "django.middleware.security.SecurityMiddleware",
    "whitenoise.middleware.WhiteNoiseMiddleware",
    # ... other middleware
]

Install WhiteNoise (if not already installed):

pip install whitenoise

For more information on WhiteNoise configuration, refer to the official documentation.

Step 7: Configure Template Settings

Ensure template discovery is properly configured in settings.py:

TEMPLATES = [{
  "BACKEND": "django.template.backends.django.DjangoTemplates",
  "DIRS": [],
  "APP_DIRS": True,
  "OPTIONS": {"context_processors": [
      "django.template.context_processors.debug",
      "django.template.context_processors.request",
      "django.contrib.auth.context_processors.auth",
      "django.contrib.messages.context_processors.messages",
  ]},
}]

Step 8: Initialize Database

Run migrations to create the necessary database tables:

python manage.py migrate

Step 9: Create Administrative User (Optional)

Create a superuser to access the Django admin interface:

python manage.py createsuperuser

Step 10: Collect Static Files

Collect all static files for production:

python manage.py collectstatic --noinput

Usage

Starting the Development Server

You can run the application using Django's development server or Daphne:

Using Django's runserver:

python manage.py runserver

Using Daphne (recommended for WebSocket support):

pip install daphne
daphne yourproject.asgi:application

Accessing the Application

Once the server is running, navigate to:

http://localhost:8000/chat/

Creating Chat Rooms

1. Log in to the Django admin interface: http://localhost:8000/admin/
2. Navigate to the ChatKit section
3. Create rooms and add participants
4. Users can now access their conversations through the chat interface

Production Deployment

Recommended Configuration

1. Use Redis for channel layers (as shown in Step 4)
2. Use Daphne or Uvicorn as ASGI server
3. Configure HTTPS for secure WebSocket connections (wss://)
4. Set DEBUG = False in production settings
5. Use a production database (PostgreSQL or MySQL recommended)
6. Configure ALLOWED_HOSTS appropriately

Example Production Stack

• Web Server: Nginx
• ASGI Server: Daphne or Uvicorn
• Channel Layer: Redis
• Database: PostgreSQL
• Static Files: WhiteNoise or CDN

Advanced Features

Friend Requests and Invitations

The application includes a friend system where users can:

• Send and receive friend requests
• Generate and share invitation links
• Manage their friend list

Message Attachments

Users can attach multiple files to messages. Supported file types and size limits can be configured in your Django settings.

Theme Customization

Users can toggle between light and dark modes. Theme preferences are stored per-user and persist across sessions.

Troubleshooting

WebSocket Connection Issues

• Ensure your ASGI server (Daphne/Uvicorn) is running
• Check that channel layers are properly configured
• Verify Redis is running if using Redis backend
• Check browser console for WebSocket errors

Static Files Not Loading

• Run python manage.py collectstatic
• Verify STATIC_URL and STATIC_ROOT settings
• Check that WhiteNoise is properly configured

Messages Not Appearing in Real-time

• Verify WebSocket connection is established
• Check Redis connection if using Redis backend
• Review channel layer configuration

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

Support

For issues, questions, or contributions, please visit the GitHub repository.

License

This project is licensed under the BSD 3-Clause License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Built with Django
• Real-time functionality powered by Django Channels
• UI inspired by modern messaging applications

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