A feature-rich, production-ready chat server and client built with Python and WebSockets. Supports both centralized server mode and peer-to-peer (P2P) LAN communication with file sharing capabilities. Works on local development and hosted deployment (Ubuntu).

✨ Features

Core Features

✅ Unified Client: Single client for both Server and P2P LAN modes
✅ Peer-to-Peer (P2P): Chat without a server on your local network
✅ File Sharing: Send and receive files up to 50MB in both modes
✅ Real-time Messaging: Instant communication with low latency
✅ Multiple Rooms: Join different channels with password protection
✅ User Authentication: Secure identification for server-based chat
✅ Admin System: Comprehensive moderation tools
✅ SSL/TLS Support: Encrypted connections for server mode

Advanced Features

Account & Registration
- User registration with password hashing
- Secure authentication
- Nickname management
Room Management
- Create public and private rooms
- Password-protected rooms
- Room topics and announcements
- User lists per room
Invite System
- Generate time-limited invite codes
- Configurable max uses
- Invite tracking and revocation
Message Search
- Full-text search across messages
- Filter by room, user, and date
- Search history
Message Replies
- Thread-based conversations
- Quote original messages
- Reply tracking
User Blocks
- Block/ignore users
- Temporary or permanent blocks
- Block list management
Command Aliases
- Create custom command shortcuts
- Alias usage tracking
- Personal alias management
Room Announcements
- Broadcast important messages
- Time-limited announcements
- Announcement history
Scheduled Messages
- Schedule messages for future delivery
- Multiple time formats (HH:MM, +1h, +30m, +7d)
- Cancel scheduled messages
Room Bookmarks
- Save favorite rooms/commands
- Quick access to bookmarks
- Usage statistics
Message Export
- Export room history
- Export user messages
- Multiple export formats
Room Backups
- Password-protected backups
- Full room state preservation
- Backup restoration
Notification Rules
- Keyword notifications
- User-specific notifications
- @mention support
- Cooldown periods
Offline Messages
- Queue messages for offline users
- Automatic delivery on reconnect
- Message expiration
Admin System
- Admin privilege management
- Clear chat history
- User management
- System monitoring

🛠️ Installation

Prerequisites

Python 3.8 or higher
pip (Python package manager)
Optional (for Advanced Features):
- cryptography: Required for End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)
- Pillow: Required for ASCII Image Art features

Windows (Local Development)

Clone or download this repository
Run the setup script:
```
setup_windows.bat
```
Edit .env file with your configuration
Start the server:
```
venv\Scripts\activate
python server.py
```
In a new terminal, start the client:
```
venv\Scripts\activate
python client.py
```

Ubuntu (Production Deployment)

Clone or download this repository
Make the deployment script executable:
```
chmod +x deploy_ubuntu.sh
```
Run the deployment script:
```
./deploy_ubuntu.sh
```
Follow the prompts to configure systemd service and firewall
Edit .env file with your production configuration
If using systemd, the server will start automatically

Otherwise, start manually:

source venv/bin/activate
python3 server.py

Manual Installation

# Create virtual environment
python3 -m venv venv

# Activate virtual environment
# On Windows:
venv\Scripts\activate
# On Linux/Mac:
source venv/bin/activate

# Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Copy environment template
cp .env.example .env

# Edit .env with your configuration
# Start server
python server.py

# In another terminal, start client
python client.py

⚙️ Configuration

Edit the .env file to configure the server:

# Server Configuration
HOST=0.0.0.0              # Bind to all interfaces
PORT=8765                 # WebSocket port
MAX_HISTORY=100           # Messages to keep in history

# Admin Configuration
ADMIN_PASSWORD=admin123   # Change this!

# SSL Configuration (optional)
USE_SSL=false
SSL_CERT_PATH=/path/to/cert.pem
SSL_KEY_PATH=/path/to/key.pem

# Database
DB_PATH=chat.db

# Logging
LOG_LEVEL=INFO
LOG_FILE=chat_server.log

# Security
MAX_MESSAGE_LENGTH=4096
MAX_NICKNAME_LENGTH=32
RATE_LIMIT_MESSAGES=120
RATE_LIMIT_WINDOW=60

# Session
SESSION_TIMEOUT=3600
KEEPALIVE_INTERVAL=30
RECONNECT_TIMEOUT=300

# Backups
BACKUP_DIR=./backups
AUTO_BACKUP_ENABLED=false
AUTO_BACKUP_INTERVAL=86400

🎮 Usage

Server

Start the server with default settings:

python server.py

Or with custom options:

python server.py --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8765 --admin-pass mypassword

Client

Start the unified client:

python client.py

The client will prompt you to choose a mode:

Central Server Mode: Connect to a central server (ws://...)
P2P LAN Mode: Connect directly to peers on your local network

In P2P Mode, it will also ask for a port (80, 443, or custom) and automatically discover others in the same room on your LAN.

To share a file:

Type /send <file_path>
Others in the room will see a file offer
They can type /accept <file_id> to download

Files are saved to the ./downloads folder by default.

Commands

Type /help in the client to see all available commands.

🔒 Security Features

Password Hashing: PBKDF2-HMAC-SHA256 with salt
SSL/TLS Support: Encrypted connections
Rate Limiting: Prevent spam and abuse (120 msg / 60s)
Input Validation: Sanitize all user inputs
Session Management: Automatic timeout and cleanup
Admin Controls: Privilege-based access control

🌐 Deployment

Local Network

Start server on your machine
Find your local IP address
Clients connect to: ws://YOUR_LOCAL_IP:8765

Public Internet (Ubuntu Server)

Use the deployment script: ./deploy_ubuntu.sh
Configure firewall to allow port 8765
Clients connect to: wss://yourdomain.com:8765

📊 Monitoring

Systemd Service (Ubuntu)

sudo systemctl status chatserver
sudo journalctl -u chatserver -f

Log Files

tail -f chat_server.log

🗄️ Database

The server uses SQLite for persistence (chat.db).

🐛 Troubleshooting

Connection Issues

Cannot connect to server: Check if server is running and firewall status.
SSL/TLS errors: Verify certificate paths in .env.
Database errors: Check disk space and permissions.

📝 Development

Project Structure

radio/
├── server.py           # Main server application
├── client.py           # Unified client (Server & P2P Mode)
├── config.py           # Configuration management
├── requirements.txt    # Python dependencies
├── .env.example        # Environment template
├── .env                # Your configuration
├── setup_windows.bat   # Windows setup script
├── deploy_ubuntu.sh    # Ubuntu deployment script
├── README.md           # Main documentation
├── docs/               # Detailed documentation files
├── chat.db             # SQLite database
├── backups/            # Room backups directory
└── logs/               # Log files directory

Documentation Index

For more detailed information, please refer to the files in the docs/ folder:

QUICKSTART.md: Step-by-step guide for beginners
P2P_GUIDE.md: In-depth guide for P2P and LAN communication
P2P_FEATURES.md: Technical details of the P2P engine
IMPROVEMENTS.md: Summary of latest optimizations and features
QUICK_REFERENCE.md: Most common commands and tips
CHANGELOG.md: Version history and future plans
FINAL_SUMMARY.md: Overview of the unified chat system architecture

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please fork the repository, create a feature branch, and submit a pull request.

📜 License

This project is open source and available under the MIT License.

Made with ❤️ for the chat community

README.md

🚀 Advanced Chat Server & Client