TCP Chat Application

A simple TCP chat application built in Go. The project includes a server and client programs, which allow multiple users to connect and chat in real-time. The project also provides Docker and Docker Compose setup for easy deployment and testing.

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Features

• TCP-based chat server and client
• Support for multiple clients simultaneously
• Dockerized server and clients for easy deployment
• Can be extended to WebSocket support or custom features

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Project Structure

tcp-chat/
├── server.go          # Server source code
├── client.go          # Client source code
├── Dockerfile         # Dockerfile to build server and client images
├── docker-compose.yml # Compose file to run server and multiple clients
├── go.mod             # Go module file
├── go.sum             # Checksums for dependencies
└── README.md          # Project documentation

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Prerequisites

• Go 1.21 or later
• Docker (for containerized setup)
• Docker Compose (for running multiple services)

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Running Locally

1. Build and run the server manually

# Build server binary
go build -o chat-server ./server.go

# Run server
./chat-server

2. Build and run the client manually

# Build client binary
go build -o chat-client ./client.go

# Run client (can run multiple instances)
./chat-client

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Running with Docker

1. Build Docker images

docker-compose build

2. Run server and clients

docker-compose up

• The server will start listening on port 8080.
• Clients will connect automatically.
• You can open multiple terminal sessions to interact with different clients.

3. Stop containers

docker-compose down

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CI/CD with GitHub Actions

• The project includes a GitHub Actions workflow to:

  • Build Go binaries
  • Run tests
  • Build Docker images
  • Optional: push Docker images and deploy

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Extending the Project

• Add username support for clients
• Upgrade to WebSocket for browser-based chat
• Add logging or message persistence

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License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.