It is a group project about creating your own IRC server. We use an actual IRC client Irssi v1.4.4 to connect to our server and test it.

Internet Relay Chat or IRC is a text-based communication protocol on the Internet. It offers real-time messaging that can be either public or private. Users can exchange direct messages and join group channels.

• Your code must comply with the C++ 98 standard. Then, it should still compile if you add the flag -std=c++98.
• The server must be capable of handling multiple clients at the same time and never hang.
• Forking is not allowed. All I/O operations must be non-blocking.
• Communication between client and server has to be done via TCP/IP (v4 or v6).
• Using your reference client with your server must be similar to using it with any official IRC server. However, you only have to implement the following features:
  • You must be able to authenticate, set a nickname, a username, join a channel, send and receive private messages using your reference client.
  • All the messages sent from one client to a channel have to be forwarded to every other client that joined the channel.
  • You must have operators and regular users.
  • Then, you have to implement the commands that are specific to channel operators:
    • KICK - Eject a client from the channel
    • INVITE - Invite a client to a channel
    • TOPIC - Change or view the channel topic
    • MODE - Change the channel’s mode:
      • i: Set/remove Invite-only channel
      • t: Set/remove the restrictions of the TOPIC command to channel operators
      • k: Set/remove the channel key (password)
      • o: Give/take channel operator privilege
      • l: Set/remove the user limit to channel

To start server:

make
./irc <port> <pass>

For client:

irssi
/connect -nocap -notls localhost <port>
/quote PASS <server pass>
/join <channel name>

1. https://modern.ircdocs.horse/
2. https://irssi.org/
3. http://chi.cs.uchicago.edu/chirc/irc_examples.html
4. https://ircgod.com/