RadChat

A lightweight, self-hostable voice and text chat application using WebRTC for media and WebSockets for signaling. RadChat runs as a single binary with a static frontend.

Backend: Go (Gorilla WebSocket), simple HTTP server with middleware
Frontend: Single-page app (vanilla JS, HTML, CSS)
Signaling: JSON messages over WebSocket
Media: WebRTC peer connections with configurable STUN/TURN

Features

Join a room and chat with others via audio and text
Username validation and collision checks
Emoji picker and message reactions (planned)
File upload/download (ephemeral)
Optional gzip and no-cache middlewares
Configurable origin policy for WebSocket upgrades

Architecture Overview

server/ package: Hub and Client primitives, websocket upgrader, HTTP middleware
package main: wires routes, creates a Hub, starts the run loop, and serves static assets
static/: SPA frontend (index.html, app.js, styles.css, SVG and sounds) handling UI, WebRTC, and signaling

Data flow (high level):

Browser loads SPA from / (static/)
Client connects to /ws for signaling
Hub tracks Clients and broadcasts system/user messages
WebRTC offers/answers/ICE are relayed via WS signaling
Optional file uploads via /files and served via /files/{id}

Directory Layout

main.go: entrypoint; flags and route wiring
hub.go: HTTP handlers and hub run loop integration
client.go: read/write pumps for websocket client
message.go: message envelope used for signaling and system messages
utils.go: file ops, ids, username validation, URL scheme helpers
server/: Hub/Client structs, upgrader, middleware
static/: frontend resources

Getting Started

Prerequisites: Go 1.20+ and a modern browser.

Build and run:

go build -o radchat
./radchat -ip 0.0.0.0 -port 8080 -gzip-enable

Open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.

Common flags:

-ip: bind address (default localhost)
-port: port (default 8080)
-bufsize: channel buffer size for hub broadcast/register/unregister
-gzip-enable: enable gzip middleware
-cache-disable: disable caching headers
-files: directory for uploads (default ./files)
-files-timeout: seconds until an upload expires (default 3600)
-origin: allowed Origin host for WS upgrades; leave empty to allow any

Configuration (STUN/TURN)

Edit static/app.js CONFIG.CONN.RTC_CONFIGURATION to set iceServers. By default, public Google STUN is enabled. For restrictive networks, configure your TURN server (e.g., Coturn) and optionally set iceTransportPolicy to "relay".

Development

Backend hot reload: run using go run .
Frontend: static files are served as-is; just refresh the browser
Lint/docs: prefer GoDoc-style comments for exported symbols (see server/doc.go)

Security Notes

Set -origin in production to your domain to enforce Origin checks for WS upgrades
Consider terminating TLS in front (reverse proxy) so GetScheme returns https
Uploaded files are sanitized by name and stored under ./files; validate trust boundaries

Roadmap / Tasks

FIX/ADJUSTMENT NEEDED

STYLE: MOBILE: Users list needs a rework
APP: Emojis should have category picker buttons
APP: File picker: Add an uploading spinner icon before the message is posted, currently it has a chat alert
APP: File picker: Drag and drop

FEATURE ADDITIONS

APP/STYLE: User settings should include a microphone selection, audio selection, and a test functionality for both
APP/STYLE: Emoji message reactions
APP/STYLE: Add webcam capability
APP/STYLE: Add screen sharing

IN PROGRESS FEATURE ADDITIONS

APP: Self-hosted STUN/TURN

BUG TRACKER [ Latest: #38 ]

[#38] APP: STUN/TURN issues with browser ICE rejection of offer. Need TURN to function properly?
- Manifests in an inability to receive/send audio from a user.
- Need a way of reporting which STUN/TURN was agreed on.
- Set up my own STUN/TURN with Coturn.

FUTURE

APP: Add pagination and message history
APP: See who is in the room before you join
META: Turn the app into a docker container

License

MIT (or your chosen license).

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