TCP Chat Server

This project implements a TCP-based chat server in C, allowing communication between two clients through a server. The server uses multi-threading to manage connections and relay messages between clients in real-time.

Features

• TCP communication between two clients via a server.
• Multi-threaded server for handling multiple clients simultaneously.
• Real-time message relay between connected clients.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• A C compiler (e.g., GCC).
• Linux environment (or any system supporting socket programming).

Building the Project

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone <repository_url>
   cd <repository_directory>

2. Compile the server and client programs:

   gcc -pthread -o server server.c
   gcc -o client client.c

Running the Programs

Step 1: Start the Server

Run the server program and specify the port number:

./server <port>

Example:

./server 8080

Step 2: Start the Clients

Run the client program on two separate terminals and specify the server IP address and port number:

./client <server_ip> <port>

Example:

./client 127.0.0.1 8080

Step 3: Communication

Once both clients are connected to the server:

• Type a message in one client terminal and press Enter.
• The server will relay the message to the other client terminal in real-time.

File Structure

• daytimetcpserver.c: The server program.
• client.c: The client program.
• README.md: Documentation for the project.

How It Works

1. Server:

   • Listens for incoming client connections.
   • Manages each client connection using a separate thread.
   • Relays messages between connected clients.

2. Client:

   • Connects to the server.
   • Allows users to send messages to the server.
   • Receives messages from the server sent by another client.

Example

Server Output:

Server is waiting for connections at port 8080
Connection from 127.0.0.1, port 34567
Connection from 127.0.0.1, port 34568
Two clients connected. Communication enabled.

Client 1 Terminal:

Connected to the server. Type your messages below:
Hello from Client 1!
Message from other client: Hello from Client 2!

Client 2 Terminal:

Connected to the server. Type your messages below:
Hello from Client 2!
Message from other client: Hello from Client 1!

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues or pull requests to improve the project.

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by basic TCP socket programming examples.