Attalos

A modern real-time platform for online discussion built with GNU Make, XMPP, Stanza.io, React, Browserify, as an static isomorphic javascript web application with a messaging back-end.

Separation of services

This application is split into 2 main categories:

• front-end

  The front-end of attalos is a static single page application built primarily with the react platform. The main component diagram is as follows:

  <Index>
    <Attalos>
      <Connect />
      <Room />
    </Attalos>
  </Index>
  

  Theory of Routing

  You can use queryString params with static files...

  /rooms/123 => ?id=123&controller=rooms&action=index
  

  If sufficient server resources exist, mapping from URL pathInfo => queryString is trivial

  Thus, state should be managed soley by the values in queryString (and enhanced via more direct url aliases)

  Page navigation occurs when the state of the queryString changes, BUT queryString URLs are views of the state itself

  State should be fetched via the history api

  https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Guide/API/DOM/Manipulating_the_browser_history

• back-end

  The back-end of the attalos is several servers each with a specific duty

  • CHAT

    Primary Messaging Bus, based on XMPP, allowing for both c2s and s2s operation

  • WEB

    Serves resources under the public/* directory over HTTP with express

  • BOSH

    Legacy networking adapter for enhanced client compatibility

Where to start

This project uses make to coordinate all aspects of its development, the primary targets of interest are:

• dev
• clean
• all
• check
• dist

Source of both client and server logic is only in this repo

• src/javascripts
• src/stylesheets

The build products are placed in public/ it is possible to self-host these files as long as you provide your own BOSH and CHAT servers!

Local Development

bundle
DEFAULT_XMPP_PORT=5100 DEFAULT_BOSH_HOST=localhost DEFAULT_BOSH_PORT=5200 foreman start

Build your own docker image (think federations based on domain over a cluster of servers)

make image