Tejas GK

Pender Ghast

2026 — Present

personal project

Penderghast

Overview

Penderghast is a real-time messaging platform inspired by WhatsApp, built with a strong focus on privacy, performance, and secure communication. The application supports end-to-end encrypted messaging, voice and video communication, group conversations, and modern chat features, delivering a production-ready messaging experience across the web.

The Challenge

Building a messaging platform involves far more than sending text between users. The application needed to support secure communication, low-latency message delivery, real-time synchronization across devices, peer-to-peer video calling, and scalable chat management while maintaining an intuitive user experience.

Solution

I developed a full-stack messaging platform featuring end-to-end encrypted chats, real-time communication using Socket.IO, and WebRTC-powered video calling. The application includes individual and group conversations, modern messaging interactions, and a responsive interface designed for everyday communication.

Key Features

  • End-to-end encrypted private messaging
  • Real-time messaging with Socket.IO
  • One-to-one and group chats
  • Group creation and member management
  • WebRTC video calling
  • Message replies
  • Message forwarding
  • Copy message functionality
  • Chat organization and conversation list
  • Online/offline presence indicators
  • Typing indicators
  • Read receipts and message delivery status
  • Responsive interface for desktop and mobile

Technical Highlights

  • Implemented end-to-end encryption for secure messaging
  • Built real-time communication using Socket.IO
  • Integrated peer-to-peer video calls with WebRTC
  • Developed scalable chat architecture for individual and group conversations
  • Optimized message synchronization and state management
  • Built reusable UI components for chat interactions
  • Designed a responsive messaging interface with smooth real-time updates

Tech Stack

Next.js • React • TypeScript • Node.js • Socket.IO • WebRTC • MongoDB • Tailwind CSS

My Contributions

  • Designed and developed the complete application architecture
  • Built the real-time messaging infrastructure
  • Implemented end-to-end encrypted messaging
  • Developed WebRTC-based video calling
  • Built group chat functionality and member management
  • Implemented message actions including reply, forward, and copy
  • Developed reusable chat UI components and conversation management
  • Optimized application performance for real-time communication

Outcome

Penderghast demonstrates the development of a modern, production-scale messaging platform with secure communication, real-time networking, and peer-to-peer media capabilities. The project strengthened my expertise in distributed systems, WebRTC, real-time applications, encryption, and full-stack architecture while recreating the core experience of leading messaging platforms.