Multi-User Chat System with Java Sockets

But first What is a Socket?

A socket is basically an endpoint or a plugin that allows communication between devices over a network. It is uniquely identified by an IP address and a port number.

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Project Overview

I implemented a server/client chat system in Java using sockets : Multi-Threaded Groupchat

Server

1. Binds a socket to a chosen IP address and port.
2. Listens for incoming client connections.
3. Accepts a connection and creates a dedicated socket for that client.
4. Receives messages from the client and echoes them back until the client disconnects.

Client

1. Connects to the server using its IP address and port.
2. Sends a message to the server.
3. Receives the server’s reply.
4. Prints the reply, then closes the connection.

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How to Run

Server

• Run the ServerClass in your IDE (exp, IntelliJ IDEA).

Client

• Open multiple terminals (PowerShell or similar).
• Run the client class with:

java -cp bin client.SocketClient