ASCII NET — Custom Protocol Built on TCP/IP

Welcome to the repository for my custom protocol, built on top of TCP/IP. This protocol provides a simple command-based system for real-time communication between clients and servers. It supports basic operations like registering users, joining channels, messaging, and listing users or channels.

Features

• Client Registration: Allows users to register as clients on the server.
• Channel Management: Clients can join or leave communication channels.
• Messaging: Enables sending and receiving messages between users and channels.
• User and Channel Listing: Clients can query the server for active users and channels.
• Server Feedback: Acknowledgement and error handling for all commands.

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Commands Overview

Command	Issued By	Description
REG	Client	Register as a client.
JOIN	Client	Join a specific channel.
LEAVE	Client	Leave the current channel.
CHNS	Client	List all available channels.
USRS	Client	List all users connected to the server.
OK	Server	Acknowledge the successful execution of a command.
ERR	Server	Indicate an error in the received command.
MSG	Both	Send or receive a message to/from a user or channel.

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How It Works

1. Client Registration (REG)
   The client starts by sending a REG command to the server to register itself.

   REG <handle>
   

   Example:

   REG @john
   

2. Joining a Channel (JOIN)
   A registered client can join a communication channel using the JOIN command.

   JOIN <channel-id>
   

   Example:

   JOIN #general
   

3. Leaving a Channel (LEAVE)
   Clients can leave the channel they are currently in using LEAVE.

   LEAVE <channel-id>
   

   Example:

   LEAVE #general
   

4. Messaging (MSG)
   Messages can be sent to a specific user or channel. Messages from the server also arrive using this command.

   MSG <entity-id> <length>\r\n[payload]
   

   Example:

   MSG #general 16\r\nHello everyone!
   

5. Listing Channels (CHNS)
   To get a list of all active channels, clients use the CHNS command.
   Example:

   CHNS
   

6. Listing Users (USRS)
   To see a list of connected users, clients issue the USRS command.
   Example:

   USRS
   

7. Acknowledgement and Errors (OK and ERR)
   The server responds with OK for successful operations or ERR for errors.
   Example:

   ERR Channel ID must begin with #
   ERR Username must begin with @