chat

Streaming Chat Example

A simple real-time chat application demonstrating the Forge v2 Streaming Extension.

Features

• ✅ Real-time messaging with WebSocket
• ✅ Multiple chat rooms
• ✅ Typing indicators
• ✅ Message history
• ✅ Room management
• ✅ User presence (basic)

Running the Example

cd v2/extensions/streaming/examples/chat
go run main.go

Then open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐
│   Web Browser   │ ←→ WebSocket
└─────────────────┘
        ↓
┌─────────────────┐
│  Forge Router   │
└─────────────────┘
        ↓
┌─────────────────┐
│ Streaming Ext   │
└─────────────────┘
        ↓
┌─────────────────┐
│  Local Backend  │ (in-memory)
└─────────────────┘

Code Structure

• main.go - Application entry point with HTTP server
• WebSocket Handler - Built-in handler from streaming extension
• REST API - Room management endpoints
• Frontend - Single-page HTML/JS chat interface

API Endpoints

WebSocket

• GET /ws - WebSocket connection

REST API

• POST /api/v1/rooms - Create room
• GET /api/v1/rooms - List rooms
• GET /api/v1/rooms/:id/history - Get message history
• GET /api/v1/rooms/:id/members - Get room members

Message Protocol

Join Room

{
  "type": "join",
  "room_id": "room-uuid",
  "user_id": "username"
}

Send Message

{
  "type": "message",
  "room_id": "room-uuid",
  "user_id": "username",
  "data": "Hello, world!",
  "timestamp": "2025-10-23T12:00:00Z"
}

Typing Indicator

{
  "type": "typing",
  "room_id": "room-uuid",
  "user_id": "username",
  "data": true
}

Switching to Redis Backend

To use Redis for production:

streamExt := streaming.NewExtension(
    streaming.WithRedisBackend("redis://localhost:6379"),
    streaming.WithFeatures(true, true, true, true, true),
)

Production Enhancements

For production use, consider:

1. Authentication - Add auth middleware
2. Rate Limiting - Limit messages per user
3. Persistence - Use Redis/PostgreSQL
4. Monitoring - Add metrics and logging
5. Load Balancing - Multiple nodes with Redis
6. Message Validation - Sanitize user input
7. Error Handling - Better error messages

Testing Multiple Users

Open multiple browser windows/tabs to simulate multiple users chatting in real-time.

Troubleshooting

WebSocket connection fails

• Check that port 8080 is available
• Ensure firewall allows connections
• Verify WebSocket URL is correct

Messages not appearing

• Check browser console for errors
• Verify room is selected
• Confirm WebSocket is connected

Typing indicators not working

• Ensure typing feature is enabled in config
• Check message type is "typing"
• Verify room ID matches current room