ft_irc - IRC Server Implementation

A lightweight Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server implementation written in C++98, following the IRC protocol specifications. This project is part of the 42 school curriculum, challenging students to create a basic IRC server that implements the IRC protocol.

📑 Table of Contents

• Architecture Overview
• Features
• Requirements
• Building
• Usage
• Project Structure
• Testing
• Cleaning
• License
• Helpful Resources
  • IRC Protocol Documentation
  • Socket Programming Resources
  • IRC Command Reference
  • Implementation Tips

Architecture Overview

graph TD
    A[Client] -->|TCP Connection| B[Server]
    B -->|Authentication| C[Client Handler]
    C -->|Join/Part| D[Channel Manager]
    C -->|Messages| E[Message Handler]
    E -->|Private Message| F[Client-to-Client]
    E -->|Channel Message| G[Channel-to-Clients]
    H[Command Parser] -->|Parse| E
    I[Socket Manager] -->|Accept| B
    D -->|Broadcast| G

    style B fill:#f9f,stroke:#333,stroke-width:4px
    style D fill:#bbf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px
    style E fill:#bbf,stroke:#333,stroke-width:2px

Loading

Features

• Standard IRC server functionality
• Channel management
• Client-to-client communication
• Channel operations (join, leave, messaging)
• User authentication
• Compliant with C++98 standards

Requirements

• C++ compiler with C++98 support
• Make
• Linux/Unix-based system

Building

To build the IRC server, simply run:

make

This will create the executable ircserv in the root directory.

For development with debug symbols and sanitizers:

• Address Sanitizer
• Leak Sanitizer
• Undefined Behavior Sanitizer

are already configured in the Makefile.

Usage

To start the server:

./ircserv <port> <password>

Where:

• <port>: The port number on which the server will listen
• <password>: The connection password for the server

Project Structure

• src/Server.cpp/hpp: Core server implementation
• src/Client.cpp/hpp: Client handling and management
• src/Channel.cpp/hpp: Channel operations and management
• src/server_commands.cpp: IRC command implementations
• src/main.cpp: Entry point and server initialization

Testing

You can connect to the server using any standard IRC client. Some recommended clients:

• irssi
• WeeChat
• HexChat

Cleaning

• make clean: Remove object files
• make fclean: Remove object files and executable
• make re: Rebuild the project

License

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

Helpful Resources

IRC Protocol Documentation

• RFC 1459 - Internet Relay Chat Protocol (Original)
• RFC 2810 - Internet Relay Chat: Architecture
• RFC 2811 - Internet Relay Chat: Channel Management
• RFC 2812 - Internet Relay Chat: Client Protocol
• RFC 2813 - Internet Relay Chat: Server Protocol

Socket Programming Resources

• Beej's Guide to Network Programming - Essential guide for socket programming
• Linux Manual: poll(2) - Documentation for poll()
• Linux Manual: socket(2) - Documentation for socket operations
• ft_irc Guide on Medium - Detailed guide for implementing ft_irc project

IRC Command Reference

Common IRC commands implemented in this project:

• /nick <nickname> - Set or change nickname
• /join #<channel> - Join a channel
• /privmsg <target> <message> - Send message to user or channel
• /part #<channel> - Leave a channel
• /quit [message] - Disconnect from server
• /kick #<channel> <nickname> - Remove user from channel
• /mode #<channel> <modes> [args] - Set channel modes

Implementation Tips

1. Start with basic socket communication
2. Implement user authentication first
3. Add basic command parsing
4. Implement channels one feature at a time
5. Test extensively with different IRC clients
6. Use poll() for handling multiple clients
7. Remember to handle partial messages correctly