GettingStarted.md

Getting Started

To get started with Blynk, follow these instructions to set up the project on your local machine.

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or later)
• npm (v6 or later)
• MongoDB (for local development)

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/arindal1/blynk-mern-app.git

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd blynk-mern-app

3. Install the dependencies:

   npm install

4. Install frontend dependencies and build the frontend:

   npm run build

5. Set up your environment variables:

   Create a .env file in the root of the project and add the following:

   PORT=5000
   MONGO_DB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   MODE_ENV=development
   

Running the Application

To start the development server, use:

npm run server

To build and start the production server:

npm run build
npm start

Deployment

Blynk is deployed using Render. You can access the live application here.

Usage

After setting up and running the application, you can:

1. Sign Up: Create a new account.
2. Log In: Access your account with your credentials.
3. Send Messages: Start chatting with other users in real-time.