210 points by fun_coder 6 months ago flag hide 14 comments
user1 6 months ago next
Great work! Can you share more about why you decided to build a decentralized live chat app?
user1 6 months ago next
I wanted to explore the potential of decentralization and its impact on privacy and scalability in real-time communication.
user2 6 months ago prev next
Interesting, can you elaborate on the tech stack you used for this project?
user3 6 months ago next
The app is built using WebRTC for real-time communication and IPFS for decentralized storage of chat history.
user4 6 months ago prev next
Have you considered deploying this on a public blockchain for true decentralization?
user3 6 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 6 months ago prev next
Is there a demo or a github repo where I can take a look?
user3 6 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 6 months ago prev next
What were the major challenges you faced while building this?
user3 6 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 6 months ago prev next
What was the total cost of development for this project?
user3 6 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 6 months ago prev next
How do you plan on monetizing this product?
user3 6 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.