Flutter Developer and Mentor Needed to Build Real-Time Messaging App (WhatsApp-Type)

We are looking for an experienced Flutter Developer who can also mentor during development to build a real-time messaging mobile application similar to WhatsApp (MVP version).
The goal is to build a scalable, production-ready app while also helping me understand the development process step by step.
This is both a development and teaching role.
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Project Objective
Build a cross-platform mobile app with real-time chat functionality using a modern scalable architecture.
The developer should follow clean code practices, proper documentation, and guide on best practices.
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Technical Architecture
The app will be built using the following stack:
Mobile App — Flutter
Backend API — Node.js with Express
Real-time Messaging — Socket.io
Database — MongoDB
Cloud Storage — AWS S3
Hosting — AWS or DigitalOcean
Architecture Flow:
Mobile App (Flutter)
↓
API Server (Node.js)
↓
Socket Server (Real-time)
↓
Database (MongoDB)
↓
Cloud Storage (S3)
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Scope of Work
Phase 1 — Setup and Planning
Project architecture setup
Development environment setup
Git repository setup
Database schema design
API structure planning
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Phase 2 — Core Features (MVP)
User authentication (OTP or Email login)
User profile management
One-to-one real-time chat
Message delivery and read status
Online and offline status
Push notifications
Media sharing (images and files)
Chat list screen
Basic modern messaging UI
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Phase 3 — Backend Development
REST API development
Socket server setup
Database integration
File upload to S3
Security implementation
Error handling
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Phase 4 — Testing and Deployment
Performance testing
Bug fixing
App optimization
Deployment guidance
Documentation
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Mentorship Requirement
The developer should:
Explain code structure
Conduct weekly learning sessions
Guide on best practices
Help understand architecture
Provide recorded sessions if possible
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Required Skills
Must Have:
Strong Flutter experience
Node.js with Express
Socket.io
MongoDB
AWS or cloud services
REST API development
Experience with real-time applications
Good to Have:
Experience building chat apps
Knowledge of app scalability
Basic DevOps knowledge
Security best practices
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Deliverables
Fully functional mobile app (Android and iOS ready)
Backend source code
Database schema
API documentation
Deployment guide
Technical documentation
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Project Timeline
Estimated duration: 8 to 12 weeks
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Budget
Open to proposals (fixed price or hourly)
Please include your estimated cost, timeline breakdown, and similar project portfolio.
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Proposal Requirements
Please share:
Previous chat app or real-time app experience
GitHub or portfolio
Tech stack expertise
Your development approach
Mentorship experience
Availability per week
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Engagement Type
Long-term collaboration possible if the project goes well.
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Ideal Candidate
Communicative
Patient with a teaching mindset
Detail oriented
Experienced in scalable architecture
Reliable
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We are looking to build a high-quality messaging application with the right development partner.