chatterflow

chatterflow

A simple, terminal-based chat application with user authentication and private messaging, built with Python sockets.

Features

• User Authentication: Secure registration and login system.
• Password Hashing: Passwords are securely hashed using PBKDF2.
• Public Chat: Broadcast messages to all connected users.
• Private Messaging: Send private messages to specific users.
• User List: View a list of all online users.
• Multi-client Support: The server uses threading to handle multiple clients concurrently.

Getting Started

These instructions will get you a copy of the project up and running on your local machine for development and testing purposes.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 or higher

Installation

• Clone the repository:

  git clone https://github.com/bhatishan2003/chatterflow.git
  cd chatterflow
  

• Create and activate a virtual environment (recommended):

  • Windows:

    python -m venv .venv
    .venv\Scripts\activate
    

  • macOS & Linux:

    python -m venv .venv
    source .venv/bin/activate
    

• Install the package:

  • For regular use:

    pip install .
    

  • For development (editable mode):

    pip install -e .
    

Usage

1. Start the Server

Open a terminal and run the following command to start the chat server on the default host (127.0.0.1) and port (9009):

chatterflow --server

2. Start the Client

Open one or more new terminals and run the following command to connect a client to the server:

chatterflow --client

Commands

The client supports the following commands:

Command	Description
/msg <user> <message>	Send a private message.
/list	List all online users.
/help	Show this help message.
/quit	Disconnect from the server.

Testing

To run the test suite, execute the following command:

pytest -v

Contributing

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

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.