Drevoid LAN Chat Application

A robust terminal-based LAN chat application built with Python sockets, featuring room management, private messaging, CTF flag detection, and an interactive command shell.

🚀 Features

Core Features

• Multi-user support - Handle multiple concurrent users
• Room management - Create and join public/private rooms
• Private messaging - Send direct messages to specific users
• Interactive shell - Command-based interface using Python's cmd module
• Real-time messaging - Instant message delivery
• User authentication - Username-based connection system
• CTF flag detection - Automatic detection and tracking of CTF flags
• Emoji support - Use emoji aliases in messages (e.g., :heart:, :fire:)
• Cross-platform notifications - Desktop notifications for important events

Advanced Features

• Public & Private Rooms - Create password-protected private rooms
• Room moderation - Kick and ban users (for moderators)
• Message history - Room event tracking
• User roles - Admin, Moderator, and User roles
• Connection management - Robust connection handling
• Colorized interface - ANSI color codes for better UX
• Server admin console - Administrative server management
• Thread-safe operations - Safe concurrent access to shared resources

📁 Project Structure

drevoid_client/
├── drevoid/
│   ├── __init__.py              # Package initialization
│   ├── core/                    # Core protocol and utilities
│   │   ├── __init__.py
│   │   └── protocol.py         # Message protocol, serialization, colors
│   ├── client/                  # Client-side modules
│   │   ├── __init__.py
│   │   ├── chat_client.py      # Main client logic
│   │   ├── connection.py       # Connection management
│   │   ├── flag_detector.py    # CTF flag detection
│   │   ├── message_handler.py  # Message processing
│   │   ├── room_manager.py     # Room operations
│   │   └── shell.py            # Interactive shell interface
│   ├── server/                  # Server-side modules
│   │   ├── __init__.py
│   │   └── chat_server.py      # Main server implementation
│   └── utils/                   # Utility modules
│       ├── __init__.py
│       ├── emojis.py           # Emoji alias system
│       └── notifications.py    # Cross-platform notifications
├── tests/                       # Test files
├── scripts/                     # Utility scripts
├── docs/                        # Documentation
├── start_client.py             # Client entry point
├── start_server.py             # Server entry point
├── install.py                  # Installation script
├── requirements.txt            # Python dependencies
├── README.md                   # This file
└── LICENSE                     # License file

🏃‍♂️ Quick Start

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone <repository-url>
cd drevoid_client

2. Install dependencies (optional, uses only standard library):

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Install the drevoid command globally (optional):

python install.py

Running the Server

python start_server.py

# Or with custom host/port
python start_server.py --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8891

Running the Client

python start_client.py

# Or with auto-connect
python start_client.py localhost 8891 myusername

3. Basic Usage

# Connect to server
> connect localhost 12345 myusername

# Join the general room
> join general

# Send a message
> Hello everyone!

# Create a private room
> create myroom private mypassword

# Send private message
> msg username Hey there!

# List available commands
> help

🎯 Commands Reference

Connection Commands

• connect [host] [port] [username] - Connect to server
• disconnect - Disconnect from server
• quit/exit - Exit the application

Room Management

• join <room_name> [password] - Join a room
• leave - Leave current room
• create <room_name> [private] [password] - Create a room
• rooms - List available rooms
• users - List users in current room

Messaging

• <message> - Send message to current room
• msg <username> <message> - Send private message
• pm <username> <message> - Send private message (alias)

Moderation (Moderators only)

• kick <username> - Kick user from room
• ban <username> - Ban user from room

Utility

• status - Show connection status
• clear - Clear screen
• help - Show all commands

🖥️ Server Commands

While the server is running, you can use these commands:

• help - Show server commands
• stats - Show server statistics
• users - List connected users
• rooms - List active rooms
• shutdown - Shutdown server

🛠️ Technical Details

Architecture

• Server: Multi-threaded server handling concurrent connections
• Client: Event-driven client with separate threads for sending/receiving
• Protocol: JSON-based message protocol with length prefixing
• Threading: Thread-safe data structures and proper synchronization

Message Types

• CONNECT/DISCONNECT - Connection management
• MESSAGE - Room messages
• PRIVATE_MESSAGE - Direct messages
• JOIN_ROOM/LEAVE_ROOM - Room management
• CREATE_ROOM - Room creation
• LIST_ROOMS/LIST_USERS - Information queries
• KICK_USER/BAN_USER - Moderation actions
• NOTIFICATION - System notifications
• SUCCESS/ERROR - Response messages

Security Features

• Password hashing for room protection
• User role management
• Ban/kick functionality
• Input validation and sanitization

🎨 Customization

Adding New Commands

1. Add new message type to common/protocol.py
2. Implement handler in server/server.py
3. Add command method to client shell in client/client.py

Extending Room Features

• Modify the Room class in server/server.py
• Add new room properties and methods
• Update client commands as needed

🚧 System Requirements

• Python 3.6+
• No external dependencies (uses only standard library)
• Terminal with ANSI color support (optional, for colors)

📝 License

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

🤝 Contributing

Feel free to fork this project and submit pull requests for improvements!

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Connection refused

• Check if server is running
• Verify host and port settings
• Check firewall settings

Messages not appearing

• Ensure you're connected and in a room
• Check network connectivity
• Restart client if needed

Permission denied errors

• Check user roles and permissions
• Ensure you're a moderator for kick/ban commands

Debug Mode

Add debug prints in the code to trace message flow and connection issues.