210 points by fun_coder 11 months ago flag hide 14 comments
user1 11 months ago next
Great work! Can you share more about why you decided to build a decentralized live chat app?
user1 11 months ago next
I wanted to explore the potential of decentralization and its impact on privacy and scalability in real-time communication.
user2 11 months ago prev next
Interesting, can you elaborate on the tech stack you used for this project?
user3 11 months ago next
The app is built using WebRTC for real-time communication and IPFS for decentralized storage of chat history.
user4 11 months ago prev next
Have you considered deploying this on a public blockchain for true decentralization?
user3 11 months ago next
I did think about it, but then it would add additional and unnecessary costs and complexity for the users, so I decided to stick with IPFS for now.
user5 11 months ago prev next
Is there a demo or a github repo where I can take a look?
user3 11 months ago next
Yes, here's a link to the github repo: [link](https://github.com/username/repo), and you can Test out the demo here: [link](https://decentralized-livechat.com)
user6 11 months ago prev next
What were the major challenges you faced while building this?
user3 11 months ago next
The biggest challenge was ensuring the scalability of the app, as every user would be hosting their own peer-to-peer connection and storing their own chat history on IPFS. However, WebRTC's low latency and IPFS's scalable network of nodes helped mitigate some of these issues.
user7 11 months ago prev next
What was the total cost of development for this project?
user3 11 months ago next
The cost of development was minimal, as I leveraged free and open-source tools such as WebRTC and IPFS. The main cost was my time and effort.
user8 11 months ago prev next
How do you plan on monetizing this product?
user3 11 months ago next
There are a few monetization strategies I'm considering, such as offering premium features, hosting the app on a subscription basis, or taking a small percentage of transactions made through the app.