glorp-irc: An IRC server (and client) written in Go

A lightweight IRC (Internet Relay Chat) server and client implementation built with Go, featuring a terminal user interface (TUI) for the client.

Features

• IRC Server: Full-featured IRC server implementation
• IRC Client: Terminal-based client with an intuitive interface
• Easy Setup: Simple configuration and startup process
• Cross-platform: Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows

Prerequisites

• Go 1.24.3 or later
• Terminal that supports ANSI colors (for the best client experience)

Installation & Setup

1. Install Dependencies

go mod download

2. Configuration (Optional)

Create a .env file in the root directory to customize the server address:

echo "SERVER_ADDRESS=0.0.0.0:8800" > .env

Note: If no .env file is provided, the server defaults to 0.0.0.0:8800 (localhost:8800).

3. Running the Server

Start the IRC server:

go run ./cmd/server/

The server will start listening on the configured address (default: localhost:8800).

4. Running the Client

In a new terminal, start the IRC client:

go run ./cmd/client/

Follow the on-screen instructions to:

• Connect to the server
• Join a chat room
• Start chatting!

Usage

1. Start the server first using the command above
2. Launch one or more clients to connect to the server
3. Join rooms and start chatting with other connected users
4. Use standard IRC commands within the client interface

Project Structure

glorp-irc/
├── cmd/
│   ├── client/         # Client application entry point
│   ├── server/         # Server application entry point
│   └── main.go         # Main entry point
├── internal/
│   ├── client/         # Client implementation
│   └── server/         # Server implementation
├── releases/          # Release artifacts
├── .env              # Environment configuration (optional)
├── go.mod            # Go module dependencies
└── README.md         # This file

Dependencies

This project uses several Go libraries including:

• Bubble Tea: For the terminal user interface
• Lip Gloss: For styling the TUI
• godotenv: For environment variable management

Development

Build from source

• Server:

go build -o server ./cmd/server/

• Client

go build -o client ./cmd/client/

(The client executables are also present in the releases directory, if you'd prefer to directly download them instead.)

Running Tests

go test ./...

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Run tests
5. Submit a pull request

License

This project is open source. Please check the repository for license details.

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Note: The asterisk (*) in the project name indicates that the name was decided on a whim, and was meant to be a placeholder name, which is now never getting changed.