relay.js

Kinder, Simpler IRC.

Relay.js is a web-based IRC client that focuses on making IRC less intimidating and easier to use.

Demo: www.relayjs.com

This is only a demonstration server. It may break, crash, or stall at any time without warning. It's highly recommended that you host your own instance of Relay.js for prolonged use.

Features

Simple, usability-driven interface
Dynamic embedding of content ( links, images, Gists, YouTube videos )
Support for multiple connections
Emoticons ( via http://www.emoji-cheat-sheet.com/ )

Upcoming Features

Additional content embedding ( Tweets, Codepen, Open Graph, etc )
Rearrangeable, modular interface
Interface elements for certain IRC commands, such as banning/kicking a user
Tab completion for usernames, emoticons, certain commands
Tests
~~Persistent connections~~ (persistent connections should be handled by some kind of bouncer)
Logging

Installation

Install the latest version of node.js
Pull this repository
Run npm install in the base directory
Compile assets with grunt build command
Run node relay.js or grunt dev
Navigate to http://localhost:8080

If you plan on doing development, you'll want to install Grunt. Running grunt dev (or npm run dev if you don't have/want Grunt globally installed) will build the assets (unminified), start the server, and watch + recompile the assets on change. A full list of grunt tasks can be seen with grunt -h.

Configuration

Relay.js supports simple server configuration via config.js and URL parameters. The config.js file must simply export a javascript object with the desired properties filled in. Current configuration options are as follows:

defaults object - A set of default options to use on initial load. Includes server and channels.
defaults.server object - An object specifying a preset server to connect to. If locked is set to true, these settings cannot be overridden, and by default the user is limited to a single connection. Parameters are host, port, ssl, and password.
defaults.nick string - A nick that auto populates the 'Nick' input in the connect dialog.
defaults.channels array - An array of channels that populate the 'Channels' input on the connect dialog.
max_connections integer - The maximum number of connections that can be made from a single client. When defaults.server.locked is set, this will default to 1.

To set these options, just make a config.js in the main directory of the app. Here's a quick example:

module.exports = {
	"defaults": {
		"server": {
			"host": "irc.freenode.net"
		},
		"channels": [
			"#relay.js"
		]
	},
	"max_connections": 3
}

Some defaults may also be set using URL parameters. Defaults specified in the URL will override those in config.js, except for locked parameters. The following parameters are available:

server - The URL of an IRC server (ex: "irc.freenode.net"). Maps to defaults.server.host.
port - The port of an IRC server (ex: 9001). Maps to defaults.server.port.
ssl - Connect with SSL (ex: true). Maps to defaults.server.ssl.
nick - The default nick to connect with (ex: "Fauntleroy"). Maps to defaults.nick.
channels - A comma separated list of channels to join (ex: "relay.js,tksync"). Maps to defaults.channels.

Contributing

Contributing to Relay.js is simple: just create a fork, make a new branch, and submit a pull request when you're done. Try to keep your code style similar to the original and comment anything worth mentioning. Discussion is encouraged in issues and pull requests. Relay.js can be found in the channel #relay.js on Freenode.

License

MIT License ( see LICENSE.md )

Fauntleroy/relay.js