@aio-chat/service NPM

@aio-chat/service

This package provides the backend service for the @aio-chat/client. It handles chat logic, user management, authentication, database interactions, and real-time communication via WebSockets.

Features

Authentication: Supports Direct, Auth Endpoint, JWT, Proxy, and Custom authentication methods.
Database: Works with SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. Includes migration utilities.
Real-time: Uses Socket.IO for real-time message delivery.
Customizability: Override default chat logic, user filtering, authentication, and connect to your existing database.

Installation

Install the service package:

npm install @aio-chat/service

Quick Start

Setup

Create a file to start the service (e.g., server.js).

Import and start the service:

import { startService } from '@aio-chat/service';

startService(config)
  .then(() => console.log("Chat service started successfully."))
  .catch((err) => console.error("Failed to start chat service:", err));

Add a start command to your package.json:

"scripts": {
  "start:service": "node path/to/server.js"
}

Configuration

Key configuration options include:

DB_TYPE: Type of database (sqlite, mysql, or postgres).
AUTH_MODE: Authentication mode (direct, auth-endpoint, jwt, proxy, or custom).
user_mapping: Map user fields to your database schema.
TOKEN_SECRET, PROXY_SECRET: Secrets for specific auth modes.

For a full list of configuration options, refer to the Configuration Documentation.

Authentication

@aio-chat/service supports multiple authentication methods:

Direct: Quick prototyping with minimal setup.
Auth Endpoint: Verifies users through a backend endpoint.
JWT: Uses existing JWT authentication systems.
Proxy: Routes all chat requests through an authenticated backend.
Custom: Implements custom authentication logic.

For detailed instructions, refer to the Authentication Documentation.

Database

@aio-chat/service supports SQLite, MySQL, and PostgreSQL. It includes migration utilities to set up and manage the database schema.

SQLite: Ideal for quick setups or local development.
MySQL/PostgreSQL: Recommended for production environments.

For more details, refer to the Database Documentation.

Customization

@aio-chat/service is designed to be highly customizable:

Override default chat logic, user filtering, authentication and connect it to your existing database.

For advanced use cases, refer to the Chat Service Documentation.

Best Practices

Change Default Authentication Method: Avoid using the default authentication method (direct) in production. Choose an authentication method that best fits your application's needs, such as jwt, proxy, or custom.
Update Authentication Defaults: Replace default authentication values like TOKEN_SECRET and PROXY_SECRET with secure, unique values to enhance security.
Migrations: Before running migrations on existing database make sure to check documentation on User Entity customization.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Authentication Errors: Ensure secrets and token names match between your app and the @aio-chat/service.
CORS Issues: Configure CORS on both your proxy endpoint and the @aio-chat/service.
Database Errors: Verify your database configuration and run migrations.

For more help, check the GitHub repository or create a new issue.