Chat Room (C++ Winsock)

A simple multi-client chat room application implemented in C++ using Winsock for Windows. The project consists of a server and a client, allowing multiple users to connect, broadcast messages, and send private messages.

Features

• Multi-client support (each client handled in a separate thread)
• Username registration
• Public (broadcast) messaging
• Private messaging using @username syntax
• Graceful client disconnect handling

Files

• server.cpp: The chat server. Handles multiple clients, message broadcasting, and private messaging.
• client.cpp: The chat client. Connects to the server, sends/receives messages, and supports username input.

Requirements

• Windows OS
• C++ compiler (e.g., MSVC, MinGW)
• Winsock2 library (included with most Windows C++ toolchains)

Build Instructions

Using Visual Studio (recommended)

1. Create a new empty C++ project.
2. Add server.cpp and/or client.cpp to the project.
3. Build the project (Winsock2 is linked via #pragma comment(lib, "ws2_32.lib")).

Using g++ (MinGW)

g++ server.cpp -o server.exe -lws2_32
g++ client.cpp -o client.exe -lws2_32

Usage

1. Start the Server

Run the server on your machine:

./server.exe

The server listens on port 12345 by default.

2. Start Clients

Run one or more clients (on the same or different machines, if networked):

./client.exe

• Enter your username when prompted.
• Type messages and press Enter to send.
• To send a private message: @username your message
• To quit: type /quit

Example

[alice]: Hello everyone!
[bob]: Hi Alice!
@alice Hi Alice, this is a private message.

Notes

• The server must be started before any clients connect.
• The default server address is 127.0.0.1 (localhost). To connect over a network, modify the IP in client.cpp.
• Only basic error handling is implemented.

License

This project is provided for educational purposes.