RabbitMQ Chat

A simple console-based chat application using RabbitMQ for message routing.

Features

• Console-based interface
• Multiple chat channels
• Asynchronous message handling
• Easy channel switching with !switch command
• Random anonymous usernames by default

Prerequisites

• Python 3.12 or higher
• Docker and Docker Compose (for running RabbitMQ server)

Installation

Option 1: Install using pipx (recommended)

pipx install git+https://github.com/deker104/rabbit-chat.git#egg=rabbit-chat

Option 2: Install from source

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/deker104/rabbit-chat.git
cd rabbit-chat

2. (Optional) Create and activate venv

3. Install in development mode:

pip install -e .[dev]

Running the Chat Server

Start the RabbitMQ server using Docker Compose:

docker-compose up -d

The RabbitMQ management interface will be available at http://localhost:15672 (username: guest, password: guest)

Running the Chat Client

Basic usage:

rchat

With custom settings:

rchat --server localhost:5672 --channel mychannel --user myusername

Command Line Arguments

• --server: RabbitMQ server address (default: 127.0.0.1:5672)
• --channel: Initial chat channel (default: general)
• --user: Username (default: random anonymous username)

Chat Commands

• Send message: Just type your message and press Enter
• Switch channel: !switch <channel_name>
• Quit: !quit

Running Tests

pip install -e ".[dev]"  # Install development dependencies
pytest tests/

Development

The codebase is structured for testability and maintainability:

• src/rabbit_chat/client.py: Core chat client implementation
• src/rabbit_chat/console.py: Console interface
• tests/: Unit tests

To add new features:

1. Add tests in tests/
2. Implement the feature
3. Run tests to verify functionality

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.