/minitalk

Primary LanguageC

Minitalk

Overview

Minitalk is a communication program implemented in C, utilizing UNIX signals to enable message exchange between a client and a server. This project is part of the 42 School curriculum, showcasing skills in system programming and inter-process communication.

Components

  • Server (server.c): The server program runs continuously, waiting for messages from clients. It prints the received message to the standard output. The server's PID is displayed upon startup.
  • Client (client.c): The client program sends a string to the server. It requires the server's PID and the string to be sent as command-line arguments.
  • Utilities (utils.c): This file contains utility functions like ft_strlen, ft_atoi, and ft_putnbr used by both the client and server.
  • Header File (minitalk.h): The header file includes necessary library imports and declarations of utility functions.

Compilation

The project can be compiled using the provided Makefile:

  • To compile both the server and client: make all
  • To clean up object files: make clean
  • To remove objects and binary files: make fclean
  • To recompile: make re

Usage

  1. Start the server to get its PID: 
    ./server
  2. Use the client to send a message to the server using its PID: 
    ./client [Server_PID] [Message]

Implementation Details

  • The server uses signal handlers to assemble characters from bits sent by the client.
  • The client sends characters as a series of bits using UNIX signals (SIGUSR1 for 0, SIGUSR2 for 1).
  • Both programs handle errors and edge cases, ensuring robust communication.