Async TCP Chat Server with Tokio

This project is a simple asynchronous TCP chat server and client application built using Tokio, a Rust asynchronous runtime. The server supports multiple clients connecting to it and provides features like broadcasting messages, listing connected users, and sending private messages.

Features

• Multi-client support: Multiple clients can connect to the server and interact simultaneously.
• Message broadcasting: Each message sent by a client is broadcast to all other connected clients.
• User listing: Clients can view a list of currently connected users.
• Private messaging: Clients can send direct messages to specific users.
• Asynchronous I/O: Uses Tokio's async runtime for non-blocking I/O operations.

Project Structure

• main.rs: Contains the main function to run the server.
• lib.rs: (to be created) A placeholder for library functions to modularize server and client code.
• Cargo.toml: Manages dependencies, including Tokio.

Installation and Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/devanshsonii/terminal-chat
   cd terminal-chat

2. Add dependencies: Ensure tokio is in the [dependencies] section of Cargo.toml.

   [dependencies]
   tokio = { version = "1", features = ["full"] }

3. Build the project:

   cargo build

Usage

1. Start the Server: Run the server in one terminal window.

    cargo run 

2. Start a Client: In a separate terminal, start a client.

    cargo run --example user

3. Commands:

   • Send a message to all users by simply typing your message and pressing Enter.
   • List connected users by typing /list and pressing Enter.
   • Send a private message using the format: /pvt <username> <message>.
   • To disconnect, simply close the terminal or terminate the process.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a pull request or open an issue.