🎙️ Demo Discord — Real-Time Voice, Video & Chat Engine

A scalable, high-throughput Discord clone built with Next.js 16 (React 19), Express 5, Mediasoup v3 SFU, Redis Streams, and PostgreSQL (Drizzle ORM).

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🚀 Quick Start (Run Locally)

1. Start Redis

docker run -d --name discord-redis -p 6379:6379 redis:alpine

2. Start Backend API & SFU Server

cd backend
npm install
npx drizzle-kit push
npm run dev

3. (Optional) Start Stream & Reaction Persister Workers

To persist messages and reactions into PostgreSQL:

# In separate terminals:
npm run streamWorker      # Chat message persistence
npm run reactionWorker    # Message reaction persistence

4. Start Frontend Client

cd frontend
npm install
npm run dev

Visit http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

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📱 Mobile Apps (Android APK & iOS)

The phone apps are the same Next.js frontend wrapped with Capacitor 8, plus native Bluetooth mesh plugins (frontend/android/, frontend/ios/). The normal web build (npm run dev / npm run build) is not affected by any of this.

One-time setup (both platforms)

cd frontend
npm install
cp .env.capacitor.example .env.capacitor

Edit frontend/.env.capacitor and set the backend address the phone should use. On a phone, localhost is the phone itself, so use:

• Real phone on your Wi-Fi: http://<your PC's Wi-Fi IP>:4000 (find it with ipconfig)
• Android emulator: http://10.0.2.2:4000
• Production: your https:// server, with CAP_ALLOW_HTTP=false

The backend URL is baked into the app at build time. If you change .env.capacitor, rebuild the app.

🤖 Build the Android APK

Requirements: Android Studio (with the Android SDK) and JDK 21 exactly. JDK 17 is too old and the JDK 25 bundled with Android Studio is too new for Gradle 8.14. In Android Studio: Settings → Build Tools → Gradle → Gradle JDK → Download JDK → 21. For command-line builds, point JAVA_HOME at a JDK 21.

1. Build the web app and copy it into the Android project:

   npm run build:app
   

2. Compile the APK — either:

   • Android Studio: npm run app:open, then Build → Build App Bundle(s) / APK(s) → Build APK(s), or
   • Command line (from frontend/android):

     ./gradlew assembleDebug
     

     (PowerShell / cmd: .\gradlew.bat assembleDebug)

   The APK is written to frontend/android/app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk.

3. Install it on a phone (USB debugging on, phone plugged in):

   adb install -r app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
   

   Or copy the APK to the phone and open it (allow "install unknown apps"). Shortcut for steps 2–3: npm run app:run builds and launches on a connected phone.

Release APK: Android Studio → Build → Generate Signed App Bundle / APK, create or pick a keystore, choose APK → release. Use an https backend for release builds.

🍎 Build the iOS app (Mac only)

Requirements: a Mac with Xcode and Node 22. Swift can't be compiled on Windows.

1. Do the one-time setup above on the Mac (set the backend to the Mac's Wi-Fi IP or your server).
2. Build and copy into the iOS project, then open Xcode:

   npm run build:ios
   npm run ios:open
   

3. In Xcode: select the App target → Signing & Capabilities → choose your Team (a free Apple ID works, but the app expires after 7 days).
4. Plug in the iPhone, select it as the run target, and press Run (▶). On the phone, trust the developer under Settings → General → VPN & Device Management.

📤 Sharing the iOS app

Way	Cost	Who can install	How long it lasts
Xcode → Run (above)	Free	Phones plugged into your Mac	7 days, then Run again
AltStore (below)	Free	Anyone with an Apple ID and a PC or Mac	7 days, refreshed automatically over Wi-Fi
TestFlight / Ad Hoc	$99/year Apple Developer account	Up to 10,000 testers by link (TestFlight)	90 days (TestFlight), 1 year (Ad Hoc)

The website works in Safari for chat and voice, but not for the Bluetooth mesh: Safari can't use Bluetooth, so mesh on iPhone needs the app.

Free: share an .ipa with AltStore

With a free Apple ID you can't send someone an .ipa that installs by tapping it. With AltStore, each person installs it with their own Apple ID, and AltStore signs it on their phone.

Step 1 — Make the .ipa (you, on the Mac). Build it unsigned; AltStore signs it later. From frontend/:

npm run build:ios
cd ios/App
xcodebuild -project App.xcodeproj -scheme App -configuration Release -sdk iphoneos -derivedDataPath build CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO
mkdir -p Payload
cp -R build/Build/Products/Release-iphoneos/App.app Payload/
zip -r DemoDiscord.ipa Payload
rm -rf Payload

This gives you frontend/ios/App/DemoDiscord.ipa. Send it to testers by AirDrop, Google Drive, WhatsApp or similar. An .ipa is just a zip file with a Payload/App.app folder inside.

Set the backend in .env.capacitor to a server the testers can reach (your deployed https server) before building. Your home Wi-Fi IP only works on your Wi-Fi.

Step 2 — Install AltStore (each tester, once). They need a Windows PC or Mac and a USB cable.

1. Windows: install iTunes and iCloud from apple.com, not the Microsoft Store versions. Mac: nothing extra.
2. Download and install AltServer from altstore.io and start it (it sits in the system tray / menu bar).
3. Plug in the iPhone, unlock it, and tap Trust on the phone.
4. Click the AltServer icon → Install AltStore → pick the iPhone → sign in with an Apple ID. A spare Apple ID is fine.
5. On the iPhone: Settings → General → VPN & Device Management → trust that Apple ID.
6. On iOS 16 or newer: Settings → Privacy & Security → Developer Mode → turn it on and restart.

This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗