Multi-threaded TCP Chat Server

Project roadmap

1. 01

   Set up the listening TCP socket

   ~1.5h

   Create, bind, and listen on a TCP socket, accepting incoming connections in a loop.

2. 02

   Spawn a thread per client connection

   ~2h

   For each accepted connection, spawn a pthread that handles reading messages from that client.

3. 03

   Implement thread-safe client registry

   ~2.5h

   Maintain a shared list of connected client sockets protected by a mutex, supporting add/remove.

4. 04

   Implement message broadcasting

   ~2.5h

   When a client sends a message, iterate the client registry under lock and write it to all other sockets.

5. 05

   Add nickname and join/leave notifications

   ~1.5h

   Let clients set a nickname on connect and broadcast join/leave/system messages.

6. 06

   Handle disconnects and cleanup gracefully

   ~2h

   Detect closed connections, remove them from the registry, and free resources without leaking or crashing.

Resources

• DocsC Language Reference