Cordit

A self-hosted, real-time chat and voice platform. Think Discord, but simpler and completely yours.

What is Cordit?

Cordit is a lightweight communication platform with text chat, voice channels, and a unique browser-based music sharing feature. Built with modern web technologies, it's designed to be easy to deploy and simple to use.

Features

💬 Real-time Chat

• Instant messaging with typing indicators
• Multiple rooms/channels
• System notifications
• Message history

🎙️ Voice Channels

• High-quality voice chat powered by LiveKit
• Individual volume controls per participant
• Visual speaking indicators
• Low latency WebRTC connections

🎵 Music Sharing (Beta)

• Share audio from any browser tab (YouTube, Spotify, etc.)
• No server-side processing - streams directly from your browser
• Desktop only (Chrome/Firefox)
• Works with any audio source

🔐 Security & Admin

• JWT-based authentication
• Admin and user roles
• Invite code system
• Rate limiting protection

📱 Responsive Design

• Works on desktop and mobile
• Brutal/neobrutalism UI design
• Dark theme optimized

---

Roadmap

• Real-time messaging with Socket.io
• Multiple chat rooms
• Typing indicators
• Message history
• Voice channels with LiveKit
• Individual volume controls
• Speaking indicators
• Music sharing from browser tabs
• JWT authentication
• Admin panel
• Invite code system
• Rate limiting
• Responsive design
• Docker deployment
• Create new channels (text & voice)
• File & image uploads
• Emoji reactions
• Edit/delete messages
• @mention system
• Direct messages (DM)
• User avatars & status
• Push notifications
• Screen sharing
• Role/permission system

---

Quick Start

Option 1: Docker (Recommended)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/cordit.git
cd cordit

# Copy environment template
cp .env.sample .env

# Edit .env with your settings (see Configuration section)

# Start services
docker compose up -d

Access at: http://localhost:3000

Option 2: Development Setup

Prerequisites:

• Node.js 20+
• MongoDB (running locally or Docker)
• LiveKit Server (optional, for voice features)
• Yarn or npm

Backend:

cd backend
cp .env.sample .env
yarn install
yarn dev

Frontend:

cd frontend
yarn install
yarn dev

MongoDB (if using Docker):

docker run -d -p 27017:27017 --name cordit-mongo mongo:latest

LiveKit (if using Docker):

docker run -d -p 7880:7880 \
  -e LIVEKIT_KEYS="devkey: secret" \
  --name cordit-livekit \
  livekit/livekit-server:latest --dev

---

Configuration

Create a .env file in the project root:

# Required
FRONTEND_URL=http://localhost:3000
BACKEND_URL=http://localhost:3000/api
LIVEKIT_URL=ws://localhost:7880

# Security - Change these!
ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET=your-random-secret-key-at-least-32-chars
ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
ADMIN_PASSWORD=changeme

# LiveKit (for voice chat)
LIVEKIT_API_KEY=devkey
LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=secret

Important:

• ACCESS_TOKEN_SECRET must be at least 32 characters
• Change ADMIN_PASSWORD in production
• For production, use HTTPS URLs and WSS for LiveKit

---

Project Structure

cordit/
├── backend/                 # Express.js API
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── models/         # MongoDB schemas
│   │   ├── routes/         # API endpoints
│   │   ├── middlewares/    # Auth & validation
│   │   ├── utils/          # Socket.io & helpers
│   │   └── app.ts          # App entry point
│   └── Dockerfile
│
├── frontend/                # Next.js app
│   ├── app/                # Pages (App Router)
│   ├── components/         # React components
│   │   ├── VoiceChat.tsx   # Voice channel UI
│   │   └── MusicShare.tsx  # Music sharing feature
│   ├── lib/                # API client & state
│   └── Dockerfile
│
├── docker-compose.yml       # Container orchestration
└── .env.sample             # Environment template

---

Tech Stack

Frontend:

• Next.js 15 (React 19)
• LiveKit Client SDK (voice/audio)
• Socket.io Client (real-time chat)
• Zustand (state management)

Backend:

• Express.js (Node.js)
• MongoDB + Mongoose
• Socket.io (WebSocket)
• LiveKit Server SDK
• JWT authentication

Infrastructure:

• Docker & Docker Compose
• LiveKit Server (WebRTC SFU)
• MongoDB

---

Development

Running Backend

cd backend
yarn dev          # Start with nodemon
yarn build        # Compile TypeScript
yarn start        # Run production build

Running Frontend

cd frontend
yarn dev          # Start Next.js dev server
yarn build        # Build for production
yarn start        # Run production build

Database Seeding

On first run, the backend automatically:

• Creates an admin user (from env variables)
• Creates a default "General" room

Environment Variables

Backend reads from .env in project root. Frontend needs:

• NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKEND_URL (set via docker-compose build args)
• NEXT_PUBLIC_LIVEKIT_URL (set via docker-compose build args)

---

Production Deployment

Using Dokploy / Coolify / Portainer

1. Import docker-compose.yml
2. Set environment variables
3. Configure domains for each service:
   • frontend → your-domain.com
   • backend → api.your-domain.com
   • livekit → livekit.your-domain.com

Important for LiveKit:

• Enable WebSocket support in reverse proxy
• Add Upgrade and Connection headers
• If using Cloudflare: set to "DNS only" (not proxied)

---

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature
3. Make your changes and test locally
4. Commit: git commit -m 'Add some feature'
5. Push: git push origin feature/your-feature
6. Open a Pull Request

Development Guidelines

• Follow existing code style
• Write clear commit messages
• Test your changes before submitting
• Update documentation if needed

Found a bug?

Open an issue with:

• Description of the bug
• Steps to reproduce
• Expected vs actual behavior
• Screenshots (if applicable)

---

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

---

Acknowledgments

Built with:

• LiveKit - Real-time audio/video ❤️
• Socket.io - WebSocket messaging ❤️
• Next.js - React framework ❤️
• Express - Node.js server ❤️