RabbitMQ Chat Application

A real-time chat application built with RabbitMQ message broker, using FastAPI and React client.

Watch the application in action:

Overview

Project implements a chat system with RabbitMQ for message exchange. Users can join different chat rooms, send messages, and receive real-time updates via WebSocket connections.

Architecture

Server Components

FastAPI Server (server/core/server.py)

• Framework: FastAPI with async/await support
• Message Broker: RabbitMQ integration using aio_pika
• Real-time Communication: WebSocket endpoints for live chat

Key Features:

• User Authentication: UUID-based user identification system
• Room Management: Dynamic channel creation and switching
• Message Broadcasting: Topic-based exchange for room-specific messaging
• Connection Management: Tracks active WebSocket connections and user room assignments

API Endpoints:

• GET /auth - Generate unique user ID
• POST /send_message - Send chat message via HTTP
• WS /chat/{user_id} - WebSocket connection for real-time messaging
• GET /rooms - List active rooms and connections

RabbitMQ Configuration:

• Exchange: Topic exchange (chat_exchange) for routing messages
• Routing Keys: Pattern chat.{room_name} for room-based message delivery
• Message Persistence: Non-durable queues (no message history)

Client Components

React GUI Client (client/src/)

• Framework: React 19 with Vite build tool
• HTTP Client: Axios for REST API communication
• WebSocket: Native WebSocket API for messaging

Key Features:

• User Authentication: Automatic user ID generation and management
• Room Switching: Change rooms on UI
• Message Display: Real-time message feed with sender identification

Components:

• Authentication System: Handles user ID generation and storage
• Message Input: Send messages to current room
• Room Management: Switch between chat rooms dynamically
• Message Feed: Display incoming messages with timestamps
• Error Handling: Connection and message validation

Configuration

Server Configuration:

• RabbitMQ URL: amqp://guest:guest@localhost:5672/
• Server Port: 8000 (configurable)
• Exchange Type: Topic exchange for flexible routing

Client Configuration (client/src/config/config.js):

• API URL: http://localhost:8000
• WebSocket URL: ws://localhost:8000

Setup and Installation

Prerequisites

• Docker (for RabbitMQ)
• Python 3.8+ (for server)
• React.js 16+ (for client)

RabbitMQ Setup

# Start RabbitMQ Docker container
bash rabbit.sh

Server Setup

cd server
pip install -r requirements.txt
# Additional dependencies: fastapi, uvicorn, aio-pika
python -m uvicorn core.server:app --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

Client Setup

cd client
npm install
npm run dev

Usage

1. Start Services: Launch RabbitMQ, server, and client
2. Authenticate: Click "Authenticate" to receive user ID
3. Join Room: Enter room name and click "Change room"
4. Send Messages: Type message and click "Send"
5. Real-time Updates: Messages appear instantly via WebSocket

Technical Implementation

Message Flow

1. Client sends message via WebSocket or HTTP
2. Server publishes to RabbitMQ topic exchange
3. Exchange routes to room-specific queues
4. Consumers receive messages and forward to WebSocket clients
5. Real-time display in client interface

Room Management

• Rooms created automatically when first accessed
• No persistent room storage (created on-demand)
• Users can switch rooms without losing connection
• Each room isolated via routing keys

Connection Handling

• Robust WebSocket connection with auto-cleanup
• User session management via UUID tracking
• Graceful disconnection and resource cleanup
• Error handling for connection failures

Dependencies

Server

• fastapi - Web framework
• aio-pika - Async RabbitMQ client
• uvicorn - server

Client

• react - UI framework
• axios - HTTP client
• vite - Build tool and dev server