Multi-User Chat Application

A secure and scalable multi-user chat application built using Go, featuring private, public, and group messaging functionalities. The app uses TLS encryption to secure communication between clients and server.

Features

• Private Messaging: Send direct messages to a specific user.
• Public Messaging: Broadcast messages to all connected users.
• Group Messaging: Create groups and chat within them.
• TLS Encryption: Secure all communication using SSL/TLS certificates and keys generated via OpenSSL.

Tech Stack

• Language: Go (Golang)
• Security: TLS/SSL (OpenSSL Certificates)
• Networking: TCP Protocol

Installation and Setup

1. Install Go

• Download and install Go from https://golang.org/dl/.
• Verify the installation:

  go version

2. Install OpenSSL and Generate Certificates

• Install OpenSSL:

  • Windows: Download OpenSSL
  • Linux (Ubuntu):

    sudo apt update
    sudo apt install openssl

  • MacOS:

    brew install openssl

• Generate TLS Certificate and Private Key:

  openssl req -x509 -newkey rsa:4096 -keyout server.key -out server.crt -days 365 -nodes

  • server.key → Private Key
  • server.crt → Public Certificate

• Place server.crt and server.key inside your project folder.

3. Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/msaakaash/multiuser-chat-app.git
cd multiuser-chat-app

4. Running the Server

go run server.go

5. Running the Client(s)

go run client.go

You can run multiple clients to simulate multiple users chatting.

Code of Conduct

Please read our Code of Conduct before contributing to this project.

Contributing

We welcome contributions from everyone!

1. Fork this repository.
2. Create a new branch:

   git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

3. Commit your changes:

   git commit -m "Add your message"

4. Push the changes:

   git push origin feature/your-feature-name

5. Open a Pull Request.

Additional Notes

• Ensure the server is running before clients attempt to connect.
• The communication between client and server is fully encrypted with TLS.
• Groups can be created dynamically and members can join iteratively.

Code of Conduct

Please read our Code of Conduct before contributing to this project.

Security

If you discover a vulnerability, please refer to our Security Policy for instructions on how to report it responsibly.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Author

Aakaash M S