A PROJECT PROPOSAL ON UNIVERSITY-BASED FULL-STACK CHATTING

APPLICATION WITH AUTHENTICATION AND SMS NOTIFICATION

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

FEDERAL UNIVERSITY OYE-EKITI, EKITI STATE.

BY:

PETER TOPE BLESSING

CSC/2019/1301

&

ARO EMMANUEL MOBOLAJI

CSC/2019/1106

SUPERVISED BY:

DR. FAGBUAGUN

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF SCIENCE

(B.SC)

FEBRUARY 2024
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Communication technologies have undergone a paradigm shift in recent years. The once-dominant
channels of phone calls and emails have been eclipsed by the pervasiveness of real-time messaging
platforms and mobile apps. This transformation reflects a deep-seated demand for communication
experiences that are immediate, personalized, and capable of adapting to diverse environments and
needs. Full-stack web-based chat applications have emerged as potent tools in this landscape,
offering efficient and engaging communication experiences across various domains. Universities,
as vibrant hubs of knowledge sharing and collaboration, face unique communication challenges
and opportunities.

1.2 AIM AND OBJECTIVES

1.2.1 Aim

The project aims to design and develop a working full-stack chat application for a university
environment which is capable of providing authentication and offline SMS notification.

1.2.2 Objectives

The main objectives of the study are to;

i. Develop a full-stack chat application.

ii. Enhance communication in a university eco-system
iii. Provide authentication of information and information sources
iv.Provide online and off-site SMS notification
1.3 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Though many applications have been developed to enhance effective communication the
limitations of these applications lie in their purpose of development. According to a research
conducted by Anuj Adhikari in Full Stack JavaScript Web Application Development with MEAN
(July 10, 2016), it is important to choose a correct technology stack which allows rapid prototyping,
constant iteration, code reuse, maximum efficiency, and robustness. Most or all of the popular
chatting applications are generic (i.e. they are used for more than one purpose) and are not user-
centred. This project aims to address this issue by developing a chatting application that is
university-centred and not controlled by third-party companies or organizations. The divisiveness
in the choice of chatting application used by students is a concern when it comes to ensuring
information gets to all students. The common chatting application used by students on campus
contains information from unverified and falsified sources. The current communication presents a
many-to-many relationship while this project resolves that by aiming to develop a one-to-many
channel of communication which assures students that information is coming directly from
authorized sources.

1.4 METHODOLOGY

This research study relies on the framework and runtime of JavaScript. React.js which is a
JavaScript framework used in the development of web applications, only applicable to the
frontend, i.e the (User Interface). React.js will be used throughout the implementation of this
project for the client-side development. Using Node.js as the backend tool for the
development of the backend, where (Express.js) will be implemented as a framework
alongside Node.js. The real-time chatting application features, i.e the (User Experience) will
be implemented using the STREAM API to give a more realistic and interactive user
experience, while SMS and notification will be done with the help of TWILIO.

A typical user interface with the STREAM API

REFERENCE

[1] Masiello Eric. Mastering React Native. January 11; 2017. This book is a
comprehensive guide to building mobile applications using React Native.
[2] Naimul Islam Naim. ReactJS: An Open-Source JavaScript library for front-end
development. Metropolia University of Applied Sciences. This article provides an
overview of ReactJS and its key features for front-end web development.
[3] Stefanov Stoyan, editor. React: Up and Running: Building web Applications. First
Edition; 2016. This book is a beginner-friendly introduction to React, covering its core
concepts and providing practical examples for building web applications.
[4] Horton Adam, Vice Ryan. Mastering React; February 23; 2016. This book provides a
comprehensive guide to React, covering its core concepts, practical examples, and
advanced techniques for building complex applications.
[5] Alex Kondov. Express Architecture Review. This article reviews the architecture of
Express.js, a popular web framework for building Node.js applications.
[6] Express.js documentation. This documentation provides a comprehensive guide to
building web applications using Express.js.