Anonymo: Real-Time Anonymous Web Chat for Open Conversations

Core problems solved

• Lack of Anonymity in Online Chats

  Many online chat platforms require users to create accounts or provide personal information, which can discourage open communication. Anonymo allows users to chat without revealing their identity, promoting more honest and open conversations.

• Concerns About Privacy and Data Security

  People often worry about their messages being stored or shared without their consent. Anonymo ensures true privacy by not storing any messages permanently. All chats are deleted when the browser session ends, giving users peace of mind.

• Need for Quick and Spontaneous Conversations

  Most chat platforms require a lengthy sign-up process before users can start talking. Anonymo eliminates this by allowing users to join instantly with a randomly generated username, making it easy to have quick and spontaneous conversations.

• Difficulty Keeping Track of Conversations in Real-Time

  In fast-paced chat environments, it’s hard to keep up with who is saying what. Anonymo includes features like chat timestamps and typing indicators, helping users follow the flow of the conversation in real time.

Core stack

• Node.js

  Node.js is a server-side JavaScript runtime that was used to build the backend of Anonymo. It provided a scalable and efficient environment for handling multiple users in real time. Node.js, combined with Socket.IO, managed all the server-side logic, including handling chat sessions, generating random usernames, and ensuring the messages are persisted only within the active browser session.

• Socket.IO

  Socket.IO is a powerful library for real-time web applications. It enables instant, bidirectional communication between the server and clients, making it ideal for a live chat application like Anonymo. Socket.IO was used to handle all the real-time messaging features, such as sending and receiving chat messages, showing typing indicators, and updating the chat in real time as users interact

• React.js

  React.js is a popular JavaScript library for building user interfaces. It was used to create the dynamic and responsive frontend of Anonymo. React's component-based architecture allowed for efficient updates to the chat UI, such as displaying new messages, showing the list of active users, and handling user interactions with minimal re-rendering, resulting in a smooth user experience.

Functionality & Features

• Complete Anonymity

  Anonymo ensures that users can chat without revealing their identity. There is no need for account creation, personal details, or login credentials. Users are assigned randomly generated usernames when they join the chat, allowing them to interact freely and anonymously.

• Real-Time Messaging

  The app provides real-time messaging, enabling users to send and receive messages instantly. This is powered by Socket.IO, which ensures that the chat is updated in real time for all participants, creating a smooth and interactive chat experience.

• Chat Timestamps

  Each message in the chat is accompanied by a timestamp, showing when it was sent. This helps users keep track of the conversation timeline and adds context to the flow of the chat, making it easier to follow along.

• Typing Indicators

  Anonymo includes typing indicators that show when someone is typing a message. This feature enhances the chat experience by giving users a sense of activity and anticipation, making conversations feel more lively and engaging.

• Messages Persisted Within Browser Session

  To ensure true anonymity, messages in Anonymo are only stored for the duration of the active browser session. Once the browser is closed or the session ends, all messages are permanently deleted. This prevents any record of the conversation from being stored on the server, ensuring complete privacy.

• Randomly Generated Usernames

  When a user joins the chat, the app automatically assigns them a randomly generated username. This feature adds a layer of anonymity and fun to the chat experience, as users can chat without using their real names and enjoy the randomness of their assigned identities

Challenges

• Incorrect Message Sorting

  One of the challenges was sorting the messages based on the client’s local time instead of the server’s time. This caused issues where messages appeared out of order, especially when users from different time zones were chatting. To resolve this, the sorting logic was adjusted to use the server time, ensuring that messages were displayed in the correct order for all users, regardless of their local time settings.

• Message Loss with Slow Internet Connections

  Another challenge was handling message delivery in cases where users had slow or unstable internet connections. Sometimes, messages were not sent properly, leading to message loss. This was particularly problematic as it affected the integrity of the conversation. To address this, a more robust message delivery mechanism was implemented to ensure that messages were reliably delivered or re-sent if the initial attempt failed, reducing the likelihood of message loss.

Conclusion

The development of Anonymo provided an opportunity to create a unique platform for real-time, anonymous communication. By focusing on features like anonymity, real-time messaging, and chat persistence within a session, the app offers a secure and engaging environment for open conversations. Despite challenges like message sorting and handling connectivity issues, these obstacles were overcome, resulting in a stable and user-friendly chat application. The use of technologies like Node.js, Socket.IO, and React ensured a smooth integration of frontend and backend functionalities, delivering a reliable chat experience.