Create Real Time Chat Application in C++ with Free Codes

Introduction – Real Time Chat Application

A Real-Time Chat Application allow users to send and receive messages instantly over a network. Implementing such an application in C++ involves utilizing socket programming for network communication and managing message exchange between clients and a central server.

Key Concepts of Project

1. Server
2. Client
3. Networking

Algorithm Approach

1. Server Side
   • Initialize a server socket and bind it to a specific port.
   • Listen for incoming connections from clients.
   • Accept client connections and manage them in separate threads or asynchronously.
   • Receive messages from clients and broadcast them to all connected clients.
   • Maintain a list of connected clients and handle disconnections gracefully.
2. Client Side
   • Initialize a client socket and connect to the server.
   • Send messages to the server.
   • Receive messages from the server and display them to the user.
   • Handle user input for sending messages.
3. Message Exchange
   • Define a protocol for message exchange (e.g., message format, command structure).
   • Serialize and deserialize messages to/from byte streams for network transmission.
   • Implement mechanisms for error handling, connection timeouts, and reconnections.

C++ Project Codes

Here’s a simplified outline of a real-time chat application using sockets in C++:

Server Implementation

// Server.cpp

#include <iostream>
#include <thread>
#include <vector>
#include <cstring>
#include <arpa/inet.h>
#include <unistd.h>

constexpr int PORT = 8080;
constexpr int MAX_CLIENTS = 10;

std::vector<int> clients;

void handleClient(int clientSocket) {
    char buffer[1024] = {0};
    while (true) {
        int valread = read(clientSocket, buffer, 1024);
        if (valread == 0) {
            std::cout << "Client disconnected\n";
            break;
        }
        std::cout << "Client message: " << buffer << std::endl;
        // Broadcast message to all clients (excluding sender)
        for (int client : clients) {
            if (client != clientSocket) {
                send(client, buffer, strlen(buffer), 0);
            }
        }
        memset(buffer, 0, sizeof(buffer));
    }
    close(clientSocket);
}

int main() {
    int serverSocket, clientSocket;
    struct sockaddr_in address;
    int addrlen = sizeof(address);

    // Creating socket file descriptor
    if ((serverSocket = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) == 0) {
        std::cerr << "Socket creation failed\n";
        return -1;
    }

    address.sin_family = AF_INET;
    address.sin_addr.s_addr = INADDR_ANY;
    address.sin_port = htons(PORT);

    // Binding socket to port
    if (bind(serverSocket, (struct sockaddr *)&address, sizeof(address)) < 0) {
        std::cerr << "Bind failed\n";
        return -1;
    }

    // Listening for incoming connections
    if (listen(serverSocket, MAX_CLIENTS) < 0) {
        std::cerr << "Listen failed\n";
        return -1;
    }

    std::cout << "Server listening on port " << PORT << std::endl;

    while (true) {
        if ((clientSocket = accept(serverSocket, (struct sockaddr *)&address, (socklen_t*)&addrlen)) < 0) {
            std::cerr << "Accept failed\n";
            return -1;
        }
        std::cout << "New client connected\n";
        clients.push_back(clientSocket);
        std::thread clientThread(handleClient, clientSocket);
        clientThread.detach(); // Detach the thread to run independently
    }

    return 0;
}

Client Implementation

// Client.cpp

#include <iostream>
#include <cstring>
#include <arpa/inet.h>
#include <unistd.h>

constexpr int PORT = 8080;
constexpr char SERVER_IP[] = "127.0.0.1";

int main() {
    int clientSocket;
    struct sockaddr_in serverAddress;
    char message[1024] = {0};

    if ((clientSocket = socket(AF_INET, SOCK_STREAM, 0)) < 0) {
        std::cerr << "Socket creation failed\n";
        return -1;
    }

    serverAddress.sin_family = AF_INET;
    serverAddress.sin_port = htons(PORT);

    if (inet_pton(AF_INET, SERVER_IP, &serverAddress.sin_addr) <= 0) {
        std::cerr << "Invalid address/ Address not supported\n";
        return -1;
    }

    if (connect(clientSocket, (struct sockaddr *)&serverAddress, sizeof(serverAddress)) < 0) {
        std::cerr << "Connection failed\n";
        return -1;
    }

    std::cout << "Connected to server\n";

    while (true) {
        std::cout << "Enter message: ";
        std::cin.getline(message, 1024);
        send(clientSocket, message, strlen(message), 0);
        std::cout << "Message sent\n";
    }

    return 0;
}