Chat Room Project (C)

Overview

The Chat Room Project is a simple client-server application written in C that allows multiple users to connect and communicate in real-time via the terminal. It demonstrates core networking concepts such as sockets, multithreading, and TCP communication.

Features

• Multiple clients can connect to a single server
• Real-time text messaging between clients
• Server broadcasts messages to all connected clients
• Basic command-line interface

Technologies Used

• C Programming Language
• POSIX Sockets (TCP)
• Threads (POSIX pthread)

Project Structure

chat-room/
│
├── src/
│   ├── server.c      # Server-side logic
│   ├── client.c      # Client-side logic
│   └── common.h      # Shared constants & function declarations
│
├── Makefile          # For building server and client
└── README.md         # Project documentation

How to Compile and Run

1. Compile the Server and Client

gcc src/server.c -o server -lpthread
gcc src/client.c -o client -lpthread

2. Run Server and Client in Separate Terminals

Terminal 1 (Server):

./server

Terminal 2+ (Clients):

./client

Usage

1. Start the server first by running ./server
2. Connect clients by running ./client in separate terminal windows
3. Type messages and press Enter to send them to all connected clients
4. Use Ctrl+C to disconnect clients or stop the server

Requirements

• GCC compiler
• POSIX-compatible system (Linux, macOS, WSL)
• pthread library support

Future Enhancements

• User authentication and nicknames
• Private messaging between specific users
• Message history and logging
• GUI interface
• File sharing capabilities