Social Sphere

Social Sphere is a full-featured social media platform where users can connect with friends, share posts, send messages, make audio and video calls, and receive notifications for important interactions. The app is built using a modern web development stack with a focus on real-time communication, responsive design, and scalability. Watch the Demo Video

Features

1. User Authentication

   • Google OAuth

   • Credential-based Signup/Login

   • Email Verification System

     

1. User Profile Management
   • Profile View Tracking

- Friend Requests and Management - Unfriend Option

1. Posts and Interactions

   • Create, Update, Delete Posts
   • Likes and Comments

2. Real-time Messaging System

   • One-on-one Conversations
   • Notifications for New Messages

1. Audio/Video Call Functionality

1. Notification System

   • Post-related Notifications (Likes, Comments)
   • Profile Views
   • Friend Request Notifications

   

2. Settings Page

   • Profile Visibility, Post Visibility
   • Dark Mode

3. Minimized Call Window

   • Allow ongoing calls in a minimized window

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4. Post Photo Uploads

   • AWS S3 Integration

Technologies Used

• Frontend: Next.js (React), Tailwind CSS, Recoil (for state management)
• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose ODM)
• Real-time Communication: Socket.IO, WebRTC
• Cloud Storage: AWS S3
• Authentication: Google OAuth, Email-based verification (Nodemailer)
• Caching/Optimization: Redis (for socket ID management)

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Detailed Features and Implementations

1. User Authentication

Google OAuth

• Implemented by manual google auth login (Node.js, Express.js).
• Tokens are stored as HTTP-only cookies to maintain secure sessions.
• Technologies: Next.js, Node.js, Express.js, js-cookie for frontend cookie management.

Credential-based Signup/Login

• Secure authentication using bcrypt for hashing passwords.
• Tokens are generated using JWT for session management.
• Email verification is implemented using Nodemailer to send verification links.

2. User Profile Management

Profile View Tracking

• Tracks who viewed the user's profile and sends notifications.
• Technologies: MongoDB (for storing view logs), Socket.IO for real-time notifications.

Friend Requests and Management

• Users can send, accept, and decline friend requests.
• Friendships are maintained via a friendship schema in MongoDB.
• Technologies: Express.js (API routes), MongoDB (friendship schema).

Unfriend Option

• Allows users to unfriend someone they are connected with. The friendship document is deleted from the database.
• Technologies: Express.js, MongoDB.

3. Posts and Interactions

Create, Update, Delete Posts

• Users can create posts with photos, edit captions, and delete posts.
• AWS S3 is used for storing images, and MongoDB stores post data.
• Technologies: AWS S3, MongoDB, Node.js, Express.js.

Likes and Comments

• Users can like posts and comment on them.
• Real-time updates are sent to the post owner using Socket.IO.
• Technologies: MongoDB, Socket.IO.

4. Real-time Messaging System

One-on-one Conversations

• Implemented using Socket.IO for real-time messaging and MongoDB to store conversations and messages.
• Conversations are loaded and displayed in a chat interface.

Notifications for New Messages

• Real-time notifications are sent when new messages are received, even if the user is not on the chat screen.
• Technologies: Socket.IO, MongoDB, Recoil (for state management).

5. Audio/Video Call Functionality

• Audio and video call functionality is implemented using WebRTC for peer-to-peer connections.
• Calls are initiated using a socket event, and users can choose to accept or reject them.
• Technologies: WebRTC, Socket.IO, Next.js.

6. Notification System

Post-related Notifications

• Users receive notifications when someone likes their post, comments on it, or views their profile.
• Real-time notifications are managed using Socket.IO and stored in MongoDB.
• Technologies: MongoDB, Socket.IO, Recoil (to manage notification state).

Profile Views

• Users get notified when someone views their profile, providing engagement data.
• Technologies: MongoDB, Socket.IO.

Friend Request Notifications

• Notifications are sent when users receive friend requests or when their request is accepted.
• Technologies: MongoDB, Socket.IO.

7. Settings Page

• Users can manage their profile and post visibility, enable/disable dark mode, and configure notification preferences.
• Technologies: React (Next.js), Recoil (for state management), Tailwind CSS.

8. Minimized Call Window

• Ongoing audio and video calls can be minimized, allowing users to continue browsing other parts of the app.
• The minimized window is implemented as an overlay, controlled by the state of the call.
• Technologies: WebRTC, React (Next.js).

9. Post Photo Uploads

• Users can upload photos with their posts, and these are stored in AWS S3.
• Pre-signed URLs are used for secure uploads directly to S3.
• Technologies: AWS S3, Node.js, Express.js, MongoDB (for storing post metadata).

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License

MIT License.