__ _       _    _           ___ _           _   
  / /(_)_ __ | | _(_)_ __     / __\ |__   __ _| |_ 
 / / | | '_ \| |/ / | '_ \   / /  | '_ \ / _` | __|
/ /__| | | | |   <| | | | | / /___| | | | (_| | |_ 
\____/_|_| |_|_|\_\_|_| |_| \____/|_| |_|\__,_|\__|

Linkin Chat is a TUI (Text User Interface) based chat application that uses HTTP and NATS for communication and broadcasting messages between the client and server.

Table Of Content

• Table Of Content
• Tech Stack
• Prerequisites
• Development Workflow
  • Start Development Environment
  • Start Development Environment with Logs
  • Stop Development Environment
  • Build Development Containers
  • View Logs for Development Environment
  • Rebuild and Restart Development Containers
• Deployment Workflow
  • Deploy to Production
  • Stop Production Deployment
  • View Logs for Production Deployment
  • Build Production Containers
• Installing the Client
  • For Ubuntu/Debian
  • For macOS
  • For Windows
• Creating a Release
• Additional Notes
• Features
• Known Issues
• Planned Improvements
• Test video

Tech Stack

• Server
  • Fiber (http)
  • Nats
• Database
  • Postgres
• Tools
  • Docker
  • Makefile
• Cache
  • Redis
• Config
  • Viper
• Client
  • UI: tview
  • Release: Goreleaser
  • CLI: Cobra

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following tools installed:

• Docker: Install Docker
• Docker Compose: Included with Docker Desktop or install separately (Docker Compose Documentation)
• GoReleaser (optional, for release creation): Install GoReleaser

Make sure your project directory follows the structure defined in the Makefile (e.g., ./build/nats, ./build/redis, ./build/postgres, and ./build/server).

---

Development Workflow

Start Development Environment

To spin up the development environment:

make dev_up

This will:

1. Ensure the Docker network linkin-chat-network exists.
2. Start the development versions of NATS, Redis, and PostgreSQL containers defined in the docker-compose.dev.yaml files.

Start Development Environment with Logs

To start the development environment and stream logs to the console:

make dev_uplog

Stop Development Environment

To stop and remove all running containers in the development environment:

make dev_down

Build Development Containers

To build or rebuild development containers:

make dev_build

View Logs for Development Environment

To view logs from all containers in the development environment:

make dev_logs

Rebuild and Restart Development Containers

To rebuild and restart containers for the development environment:

make dev_rebuild

---

Deployment Workflow

Deploy to Production

To deploy the application in production:

make deploy

This will:

1. Ensure the Docker network linkin-chat-network exists.
2. Start the production versions of NATS, Redis, PostgreSQL, and the server containers defined in the docker-compose.prod.yaml files.

Stop Production Deployment

To stop and remove all running containers in the production environment:

make deploy-down

View Logs for Production Deployment

To view logs from all containers in the production environment:

make deploy-logs

To view logs from a specific container in production:

make deploy-log CONTAINER=<container_name>

Replace <container_name> with the name of the container.

Build Production Containers

To build or rebuild production containers:

make deploy-build

---

Installing the Client

For Ubuntu/Debian

1. Download the .deb file matching your architecture from the Releases Section:
   • For 64-bit systems: linkin-chat_version-SNAPSHOT-x_linux_amd64.deb
   • For ARM64 systems: linkin-chat_version-SNAPSHOT-x_linux_arm64.deb
   • For 32-bit systems: linkin-chat_version-SNAPSHOT-x_linux_386.deb
2. Install the package using dpkg:

   sudo dpkg -i linkin-chat_*.deb

3. Verify the installation:

   linkin-chat --help

For macOS

1. Download the .tar.gz file matching your architecture from the Releases Section:
   • For ARM64: linkin-chat_Darwin_arm64.tar.gz
   • For x86_64: linkin-chat_Darwin_x86_64.tar.gz
2. Extract the archive:

   tar -xzf linkin-chat_Darwin_*.tar.gz

3. Move the binary to a directory in your PATH:

   sudo mv linkin-chat /usr/local/bin/linkin-chat

4. Verify the installation:

   linkin-chat --help

For Windows

1. Download the .zip file matching your architecture from the Releases Section:
   • For 64-bit systems: linkin-chat_Windows_x86_64.zip
   • For 32-bit systems: linkin-chat_Windows_i386.zip
   • For ARM64: linkin-chat_Windows_arm64.zip
2. Extract the archive using a tool like WinRAR or 7-Zip.
3. Move the linkin-chat.exe file to a directory in your PATH (e.g., C:\Program Files\LinkinChat).
4. Add the directory to your system's PATH environment variable if not already set.
5. Verify the installation:

   linkin-chat.exe --help

---

Creating a Release

To create a release snapshot using GoReleaser:

make create_release

This will generate a snapshot release of the project.

---

Additional Notes

• The Makefile ensures that the Docker network linkin-chat-network exists before executing commands. This prevents network-related issues when starting containers.
• For troubleshooting or customization, refer to the Makefile for exact command definitions and paths.

Features

Linkin Chat provides the following core functionalities:

1. Create User: Register a new user.
2. Login User: Log in to the application with your credentials.
3. Create Chatroom: Start a new chatroom for communication.
4. Delete Chatroom: Remove an existing chatroom that you own.
5. Join Chatroom: Join a chatroom to start chatting with others.
6. Delete Your Chatroom: Remove the chatrooms you created.

Users can navigate through the interface using:

• Tab and Shift+Tab to move between objects.
• Arrow Keys (Up/Down) to select items in a list.

Known Issues

• Nats Authentication & Authorization
• Hardcoded Variables: Some variables in the code are hardcoded, which may cause inflexibility and potential errors.
• Logging systems for containers, servers, and clients.
• Integration of the zap logging library.
• Ban user feature.
• Cache queries.

This aspect required extensive effort to balance security, performance, and functionality within the limited timeframe.

Planned Improvements

Once the foundational features are stable, the following improvements and features are planned:

• Add a fully functional chatroom experience with message persistence.
• Implement logging systems for better observability.
• Add security enhancements for user authentication and NATS connections.
• Introduce the "ban user" feature for moderators to manage chatrooms.
• Refactor code to remove hardcoded variables and improve configurability.

Test video