Real-Time Chat with WebSockets and Redis

Welcome to the Real-Time Chat project!. This project provides a real-time chat system using WebSockets technology with Django Channels and Redis for managing channels.

The project includes three types of clients:

1. Web Browser Client: Access the chat system through a web browser interface.
2. Tkinter GUI Client: Interact with the chat system using a Tkinter-based graphical user interface.
3. Script Launcher: Launch multiple instances of a basic Python client script to connect to the chat system.

Users can connect to their preferred chat room, including politics, economy, and off-topic discussions, and engage in real-time conversations.

Folder Structure:

Note: The following directory structure includes only the relevant folders and files.

• clients: WebSocket clients

  • basic_python_client.py : A basic python client for receive messages from server.
  • client_launcher.py : Used to launch 10 instances of basic python client.
  • tkinter_python_client.py : A Tkinter GUI python client for send and recive messages.

• data_stream: Django WebSocket server

  • templates: HTML templates folder
    • base.html: base layout.
    • lobby.html: template for main page.
    • chat_room.html: template for single chat room.
  • routing.py : WebSocket routing configuration.
  • consumers.py : WebSocket consumer logic.
  • urls.py : URL patterns for HTTP application.
  • views.py : view functions for HTTP requests.

• realtime_data_processing: Django settings folder

  • settings.py: Configuration settings for Django project.
  • urls.py: URL patterns mapping URLs to views.

• Dockerfile: Builds the Django server Docker image for the project.

• docker-compose.yml: Configures Docker services.

• manage.py: Manages Django project.

• requirements.txt: Lists Python dependencies for this project.

Prerequisites

Before running this project, ensure you have the following installed:

• Python
• Docker
• Docker Compose
• websockets python library

Run Project

Follow these steps to run the project:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/PanchoG17/realtime-chat.git
   

2. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd ./realtime_data_processing
   

3. Run Docker Compose:

   docker-compose up --build
   

4. Access the application via client browser:

   Open a web browser and go to http://localhost:8000.
   
   

5. Navigate to the clients directory:

   cd ./clients

6. Launch the terminal clients:

   python client_launcher.py

   • Enter your username and select a chat room from the available options.
   • Creates 10 concurrent instances of the basic_python_client.py, each representing a separate client connection to the chat server.
   • It only keep listening for incoming messages.

7. Accessing the Application via Tkinter GUI:

   python tkinter_python_client.py

   • Enter your username and select a chat room from the available options.
   • Click the "Connect" button to establish a connection to the chat server.
   • It will automatically spawm simulated messages.
   • Type your message in the text area and click "Send" to send messages to the chat room.
   • Click the "Disconnect" button to end the chat session and disconnect from the server.