Client-Server Live Chat Service

OVERVIEW

Title: Client-Server Live Chat Service
Author: Andrea Covre
Email: andrea.covre@icloud.com
Date: March 10th, 2021

This service was realized as a socket programming and networking exercise.

DEMO

SHORTCUTS CODES

• :) → [feeling happy]
• :( → [feeling sad]
• :mytime → current time
• :+1hr → current time plus one hour
• :Exit → exit the chat

FILES INCLUDED

• chatclient.h header file for the chat client (C)

• chatclient.c source file for the chat client (C)

• chatserver.h header file for the chat server (C)

• chatserver.c source file for the chat server (C)

• Makefile file to compile the executable server and client files

• README.md documentation with description, images and instructions

COMPILING INSTRUCTIONS

• To build the executables for both chatclient and chatserver run the following command from the terminal inside the project directory:

  $ make
  

• To delete the executable files you can run:

  $ make clean
  

RUNNING INSTRUCTIONS

• First run the chatserver executable with the following usage:

    $ ./chatserver [port_number]
  

  e.g.

    $ ./chatserver 5001
  

• To run a client executable use:

    $ ./chatclient [port_number] [username] [password]
  

  e.g.

    $ ./chatclient 5001 andy secret-password
  

OUTPUTS

• serveroutput.txt complete log of the chat from the server view with logins/logouts and messages received (shortcuts will be displayed as received by the client, therefore not yet transformed);

SPECIFICATIONS

• C Standard: C99
• Compiler: GCC
• IP address: 127.0.0.1 (hardcoded)
• Password: secret-password (hardcoded)
• Max length of message inputtable by the client: 1024 characters
• Edited with: CLion 2020.2.4
• Written on: MacOS 11.2.1
• Tested on:
  - MacOS 11.2.1
  - Ubuntu 18.04

LIBRARIES USED

• arpa/inet
• ctype (C Standard Library)
• pthread
• signal (C Standard Library)
• stdio (C Standard Library)
• stdlib (C Standard Library)
• string (C Standard Library)
• sys/socket
• time (C Standard Library)
• unistd