Real-Time Chat Application

This is a simple real-time chat application implemented in C++ using WinSock for network communication. It includes both server and client components, enabling multiple clients to connect to the server and communicate with each other.

Features

• Real-time message broadcasting to all connected clients.
• Multithreading to handle multiple clients simultaneously.
• Simple and easy-to-understand code structure.

Requirements

• Windows operating system.
• Visual Studio or any other C++ compiler that supports WinSock.
• WinSock2 library.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

Make sure you have WinSock2 library installed on your system. This library is typically included with most Windows development environments.

Building the Application

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/GeeteshMehto/Real-Time-Chat-Application.git
   cd realtime-chat-app

2. Open the project in Visual Studio (or any other C++ development environment).

3. Build the project. This will compile both the server and client applications.

Running the Server

1. Run the server executable. The server will start listening for client connections on port 12345.

   ./server.exe

2. The server will output messages indicating its status, such as "server has started listening on port: 12345".

Running the Client

1. Run the client executable. The client will attempt to connect to the server running on 127.0.0.1 (localhost) on port 12345.

   ./client.exe

2. Enter your chat name and start sending messages.

Code Overview

Server Code

The server code initializes WinSock, creates a listening socket, and waits for client connections. For each client connection, it spawns a new thread to handle communication with that client.

• Initialization: The Initialize() function initializes WinSock.
• InteractWithClient(): Handles communication with a connected client. It receives messages from the client and broadcasts them to all other connected clients.
• Main Function: Sets up the server socket, binds it to an address and port, and starts listening for connections. It accepts new clients and creates a new thread for each one.

Client Code

The client code initializes WinSock, creates a socket, and connects to the server. It uses two threads: one for sending messages and one for receiving messages.

• Initialization: The Initialize() function initializes WinSock.
• SendMsg(): Handles user input and sends messages to the server.
• ReceiveMsg(): Receives messages from the server and displays them.
• Main Function: Sets up the client socket, connects to the server, and starts the send and receive threads.

Example Usage

1. Start the server:

   ./server.exe

2. Start multiple clients in separate terminal windows:

   ./client.exe

3. Enter your chat name and start chatting!

Contributing

If you would like to contribute to this project, please fork the repository and submit a pull request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgements

• This project uses WinSock for network communication.
• Special thanks to the C++ community for their helpful resources and tutorials.