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Keep shoppingNestJS: Build a Real-Time Social Media API (/w WebSockets)
263 students
NestJS: Build a Real-Time Social Media API (/w WebSockets)
Build a real-time social media API with NestJS & WebSockets featuring chat, notifications, and live user updates
Created byVan Nguyen
Last updated 6/2025
English
What you'll learn
- Understand the fundamentals of WebSockets, from TCP and HTTP handshakes to persistent connections
- Build a real-time chat application using raw WebSocket APIs to gain foundational knowledge
- Use Socket IO to implement custom events, rooms, and namespaces for scalable communication
- Apply NestJS fundamentals (modules, services, controllers, gateways, guards) in a real-world API
- Integrate JWT authentication with WebSockets for secure real-time communication
- Build real-time features like messaging, conversation, post, comment
- Design a scalable real-time social media backend from scratch
- Structure WebSocket gateways and services cleanly within a NestJS codebase
- Think from a frontend perspective to shape and deliver real-time data effectively
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Course content
20 sections • 203 lectures • 27h 52m total length
Requirements
- Basic knowledge of JavaScript and TypeScript
- Familiarity with Node.js fundamentals (functions, modules, async/await)
- Some experience with HTTP APIs (e.g., building or using REST APIs)
- No prior experience with WebSockets or NestJS is required — everything will be explained step by step!
- Basic knowledge of MongoDB is helpful
Description
You may have heard the phrase: "To build a chat app, you need WebSockets." But have you ever stopped to ask — why?
In this hands-on course, you’ll learn to build a real-time social media API using NestJS and WebSockets (Socket IO) — not just by memorizing syntax, but by understanding the fundamentals behind real-time communication. We’ll explore how sockets work under the hood, how data flows between client and server, and how to architect a system that can scale and respond instantly.
Rather than spoon-feeding you code, this course teaches you how to read documentation, think critically, and apply these skills to your own projects. You'll gain the confidence to build and extend real-time features independently.
We start with a deep dive into the fundamentals of WebSockets, from how the TCP handshake works to the HTTP upgrade process that opens a persistent WebSocket connection. You’ll clearly understand what’s happening behind the scenes before writing a single line of code.
Next, you'll build a simple chat app using raw WebSocket APIs, giving you a solid foundation before introducing any libraries. Once you understand the basics, we’ll transition into Socket IO, where you’ll explore its core concepts including custom events, rooms, and namespaces — and how they simplify real-time communication.
Once your WebSocket knowledge is solid, we shift gears and jump into NestJS fundamentals. You’ll learn about modules, controllers, services, and guards — and then apply them to build a complete, real-time social media backend
Why This Course?
This is not just another crash course. It’s a practical, project-driven guide that helps you think like a backend engineer. If you’re comfortable with JavaScript/TypeScript, have some Node.js or NestJS experience, and want to level up your backend skills with real-time architecture, this course is for you.
By the end, you’ll walk away with a complete real-time backend — ready to power your own chat app, live feed, or social platform.
Who this course is for:
- Intermediate Node.js developers who want to add real-time capabilities to their applications
- Backend developers looking to deepen their understanding of WebSockets and NestJS
- Frontend developers who are familiar with real-time communication and want to understand how it works on the backend
- Full-stack developers looking to expand their skills in building real-time APIs
- Developers who are eager to build social apps, chat applications, live notifications.
- Anyone interested in learning how to create scalable, interactive, and responsive backend systems using NestJS and WebSockets