NovaGPT - AI Chat Application

A full-stack AI chat application built with Next.js, Node.js/Express, MongoDB, and Google Gemini API.

Features

• 💬 Real-time AI chat powered by Google Gemini
• 📝 Markdown rendering with syntax highlighting
• 💾 Persistent chat history with MongoDB
• 🗂️ Multiple conversation management
• ⌨️ Typing effect animation
• 🗑️ Delete conversations
• 🎨 Modern dark-themed UI

Tech Stack

Frontend

• Next.js 16 - React framework
• React - UI library
• Lucide React - Icons
• React Markdown - Markdown rendering
• CSS - Styling

Backend

• Node.js - Runtime
• Express - Web framework
• MongoDB - Database
• Mongoose - ODM
• Google Generative AI - AI integration

Project Structure

novagpt/
├── backend/
│   ├── models/
│   │   ├── Chat.js          # Chat message schema
│   │   └── Conversation.js  # Conversation schema
│   ├── routes/
│   │   └── api.js           # API routes
│   ├── utils/
│   │   └── gemini.js        # Gemini API integration
│   ├── server.js            # Express server
│   └── .env                 # Environment variables (not in git)
│
└── frontend/
    ├── app/
    │   ├── globals.css      # Global styles
    │   ├── layout.js        # Root layout
    │   └── page.js          # Main page
    ├── components/
    │   ├── ChatArea.js      # Chat interface
    │   ├── ChatArea.css     # Chat styles
    │   ├── Sidebar.js       # Sidebar navigation
    │   └── Sidebar.css      # Sidebar styles
    └── public/              # Static assets

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18 or higher)
• MongoDB (local or Atlas)
• Google Gemini API key

Backend Setup

1. Navigate to the backend directory:

cd backend

2. Install dependencies:

npm install express mongoose cors dotenv @google/generative-ai

3. Create a .env file:

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_gemini_api_key_here
MONGODB_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
PORT=5000

4. Start the backend server:

node server.js

The backend will run on http://localhost:5000

Frontend Setup

1. Navigate to the frontend directory:

cd frontend

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Start the development server:

npm run dev

The frontend will run on http://localhost:3000

API Endpoints

Conversations

• GET /api/conversations - Get all conversations
• POST /api/conversations - Create new conversation
• DELETE /api/conversations/:id - Delete conversation

Chat

• POST /api/chat - Send message and get AI response
• GET /api/chat/:conversationId - Get messages for a conversation

Health Check

• GET /api/test - Test server and database connection

Environment Variables

Backend (.env)

GEMINI_API_KEY=your_api_key
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/novagpt
PORT=5000

Features in Detail

Chat Interface

• Real-time messaging with AI
• Markdown support for formatted responses
• Code syntax highlighting
• Typing animation effect
• Auto-scroll to latest message

Conversation Management

• Create new conversations
• View conversation history in sidebar
• Delete unwanted conversations
• Auto-generated conversation titles

Data Persistence

• All messages saved to MongoDB
• Conversations persist across sessions
• Load previous conversations on demand

Development

Running in Development Mode

1. Start MongoDB (if local)
2. Start backend: cd backend && node server.js
3. Start frontend: cd frontend && npm run dev
4. Open http://localhost:3000

Building for Production

Frontend:

cd frontend
npm run build
npm start

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues and pull requests!

License

MIT

Author

Your Name

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Built with ❤️ using Next.js and Google Gemini