The goal of this project is to replicate the functionality of an IRC server.
"IRC (Internet Relay Chat) is a protocol for real-time text messaging between internet-connected computers created in 1988. It is mainly used for group discussion in chat rooms called “channels” although it supports private messages between two users, data transfer, and various server-side and client-side commands. As of April 2011, the top 100 IRC networks served over 500,000 users at a time on hundreds of thousands of channels." (source)
- Code the IRC server in C++98.
- Your binary should look like this:
./ircserv <port> <password>. - You should use
poll()and only once. - The client/server communication will be TCP/IP (v4 or v6).
- The following features are mandatory:
- i. You should be able to register, i.e., to define a nickname, a username.
- ii. You should be able to join a channel, send, or receive private messages.
- iii. Every message sent by a client in a channel must be received by all of the clients who have joined this channel.
- iv. You should have normal users and operators, and implement the operators' specific commands.
- No leaks (even still reachables) and handle the signals (partial messages with
CTRL+D, suspended process withCTRL+Z, and obviously SIGINT (CTRL+C)). - (Bonuses) Implement a bot + file transfer.
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| Invite | The INVITE command invites a user to a channel. |
| Join | The JOIN command indicates that the client wants to join the given channel(s), each channel using the given key for it. |
| Kick | The KICK command requests the forced removal of a user from a channel. |
| Kill | The KILL command closes the connection between a given client and the server they are connected to. KILL is a privileged command and is available only to IRC Operators. |
| List | The LIST command gets a list of channels along with some information about each channel. |
| Mode | The MODE command sets or removes options (or modes) from a given target. User modes: i, o. Channel modes: b, k, m, o, p, s, t, v. |
| Motd | The MOTD command gets the “Message of the Day” of the given server. |
| Names | The NAMES command views the nicknames joined to a channel and their channel membership prefixes. |
| Nick | The NICK command gives the client a nickname or changes the previous one. |
| Notice | The NOTICE command sends notices between users and to channels. Automatic replies must never be sent in response to a NOTICE message. |
| Oper | The OPER command is used by a normal user to obtain IRC operator privileges. |
| Part | The PART command removes the client from the given channel(s). |
| Pass | The PASS command sets a ‘connection password’. If set, the password must be set before any attempt to register the connection is made. |
| Ping | The PING command is sent by either clients or servers to check the other side of the connection is still connected and/or to check for connection latency, at the application layer. |
| Privmsg | The PRIVMSG command sends private messages between users and to channels. |
| Quit | The QUIT command terminates a client’s connection to the server. The server acknowledges this by replying with an ERROR message and closing the connection to the client. |
| Topic | The TOPIC command changes or views the topic of the given channel. |
| User | The USER command specifies the username and realname of a new user. |
- To understand what exactly is an IRC and begin the project: Chirc (An IRC subject from a Chicago uni) and the subsequent pages.
- Regarding the client/server connection: Beej's Guide to network programming. This is super helpful for understanding sockets, the
poll()function, system calls, and their order. - A link to the IRC Client Protocol with good formatting: Modern IRC Client Protocol. This provides descriptions of all the commands with correct syntax and expected Numerical Replies.
- A suggested project roadmap:
- Start by establishing a working client/server socket connection.
- Build on that: add signals handling (
CTRL+C,CTRL+D,CTRL+Z). - Then begin the client registration system (
NICK,USER,PASS), - Implement server commands (
PING,OPER,KILL, etc.). - Finally, add channel operations commands (
JOIN,PART,INVITE,KICK,PRIVMSG,NOTICE, etc.).