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🌐 FT_IRC - Internet Relay Chat Server

This project was created as part of the 42 curriculum by miaviles, rmunoz-c, carlsanc

  • Miguel Ángel Avilés (miaviles) - GitHub
  • Rubén Muñoz Calderón (rmunoz-c) - GitHub
  • Carlos Vicente Sánchez (carlsanc) - GitHub

📖 Description

📡 A complete IRC server implemented in C++98 following RFC 1459, with support for channels, operators, modes and an interactive bot as bonus.

Project Objective

The main objective is to understand and master:

  • TCP/IP socket programming in C++
  • Multiplexed I/O handling with poll()
  • Managing multiple simultaneous connections without threads
  • IRC protocol implementation (authentication, channels, operators, modes)
  • Client-server architecture and network communication
  • Teamwork and task assignment
  • Automation and command handling in the bonus part

Main Features

  • ✅ Secure authentication via password
  • ✅ Channel management with operators and modes (+i, +t, +k, +o, +l)
  • ✅ Standard IRC commands (JOIN, PART, PRIVMSG, KICK, INVITE, TOPIC, MODE, etc.)
  • ✅ Support for multiple simultaneous users and channels
  • ✅ Compatible with real IRC clients (HexChat, Irssi, WeeChat)
  • ✅ Interactive bot (bonus) with useful and entertaining commands

The server is optimized to handle concurrent connections efficiently, using a non-blocking I/O model that guarantees scalability and performance.

📋 Table of Contents

🚀 Instructions

System Requirements

  • Operating System: Linux/macOS
  • Compiler: g++ with C++98 support
  • Tools: make, netcat (nc)

Compilation

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-user/ft_irc.git
cd ft_irc

# Compile the IRC server
make

# Compile the bot (bonus)
make bot

# Clean object files
make clean

# Clean everything (including binaries)
make fclean

# Recompile everything from scratch
make re

🧪 Testing

Note: All tests are designed to run with nc (netcat) or real IRC clients.

📌 PHASE 1: SERVER STARTUP

Test 1.1: Basic startup

# Terminal 1 (Server)
./ircserv 6667 password123

✅ Expected output:

[SERVER] Initializing on port 6667
[SOCKET] Socket created (fd=3)
[SOCKET] ✓ Socket configured (non-blocking + SO_REUSEADDR)
[SOCKET] ✓ Bound to 0.0.0.0:6667
[SOCKET] ✓ Listening (backlog=4096)
[SERVER] ✓ Ready on port 6667

╔══════════════════════════════════════╗
║   IRC SERVER STARTED                 ║
║   Port: 6667                         ║
║   Press Ctrl+C to exit               ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════╝

[SERVER] Main loop started

Test 1.2: Invalid port

# Test invalid ports
./ircserv 80 test      # ❌ Privileged port
./ircserv 70000 test   # ❌ Out of range
./ircserv abc test     # ❌ Non-numeric

✅ Expected result: All should error without crashing

Test 1.3: Empty password

./ircserv 6667 ""      # ❌ Should reject

✅ Expected result:

[ERROR] Password cannot be empty

🔐 PHASE 2: AUTHENTICATION

Test 2.1: Basic connection

# Terminal 2 (USER1)
nc localhost 6667

✅ On the server you should see:

[SOCKET] ✓ Accepted connection from 127.0.0.1 (fd=4)
[SERVER] ✓ New client from 127.0.0.1 (fd=4, total=1)

Test 2.2: Incorrect password

# Terminal 2
PASS wrongpassword
NICK TestUser
USER test 0 * :Test

✅ You should see:

:ft_irc 464 * :Password incorrect

And then the connection closes

Test 2.3: Correct sequence (PASS → NICK → USER)

# Terminal 2 (Reconnect if closed)
nc localhost 6667

PASS password123
NICK Alice
USER alice 0 * :Alice Wonderland

✅ You should see welcome messages:

:ft_irc 001 Alice :Welcome to the FT_IRC Network Alice!alice@127.0.0.1
:ft_irc 002 Alice :Your host is ft_irc, running version 1.0
:ft_irc 003 Alice :This server was created today
:ft_irc 004 Alice ft_irc 1.0 io tkl

Test 2.4: Incorrect sequence (without PASS)

# Terminal 3 (new client)
nc localhost 6667

NICK Bob
USER bob 0 * :Bob

# Try to do something:
JOIN #test

✅ Should see unregistered error

Test 2.5: Duplicate nickname

# Terminal 3 (with correct PASS now)
nc localhost 6667

PASS password123
NICK Alice    # ❌ Already exists

✅ You should see:

:ft_irc 433 * Alice :Nickname is already in use

Test 2.6: Invalid nickname

# Terminal 3
PASS password123
NICK Alice@123   # ❌ Invalid character
NICK 123Alice    # ❌ Starts with number

✅ Should reject with:

:ft_irc 432 * <nick> :Erroneous nickname

Test 2.7: Nickname change

# Terminal 2 (Alice connected)
NICK AliceNew

✅ You should see confirmation:

:Alice!alice@127.0.0.1 NICK :AliceNew

📢 PHASE 3: BASIC CHANNELS

Test 3.1: Create and join channel

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
JOIN #general

✅ You should see:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 JOIN #general
:ft_irc 331 AliceNew #general :No topic is set
:ft_irc 353 AliceNew = #general :@AliceNew
:ft_irc 366 AliceNew #general :End of /NAMES list

Note: @ indicates you are an operator (channel creator)

Test 3.2: Second user joins

# Terminal 3 (Bob - make sure you're registered)
nc localhost 6667
PASS password123
NICK Bob
USER bob 0 * :Bob Builder
JOIN #general

✅ Bob sees:

:Bob!bob@127.0.0.1 JOIN #general
:ft_irc 331 Bob #general :No topic is set
:ft_irc 353 Bob = #general :@AliceNew Bob
:ft_irc 366 Bob #general :End of /NAMES list

✅ Alice sees (in Terminal 2):

:Bob!bob@127.0.0.1 JOIN #general

Test 3.3: Send messages to channel

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :Hello everyone!

✅ Bob sees (Terminal 3):

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Hello everyone!

# Terminal 3 (Bob responds)
PRIVMSG #general :Hi Alice!

✅ Alice sees:

:Bob!bob@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Hi Alice!

Test 3.4: Private message (user to user)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG Bob :This is a private message

✅ Bob sees (Terminal 3):

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG Bob :This is a private message

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Alice should NOT see this message reflected

Test 3.5: Join multiple channels

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
JOIN #random
JOIN #dev

# Terminal 3 (Bob)
JOIN #dev

Now:

  • Alice is in: #general, #random, #dev
  • Bob is in: #general, #dev

Test 3.6: PART (leave channel)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PART #random

✅ Alice sees:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 PART #random :Leaving

# Test with reason:
PART #dev :Going to sleep

✅ You should see:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 PART #dev :Going to sleep

✅ Bob also sees this (because he's in #dev)

Test 3.7: NAMES (list users in channel)

# Terminal 2 (Alice in #general with Bob and Charlie)
NAMES #general

✅ You should see:

:ft_irc 353 AliceNew = #general :@AliceNew Bob Charlie
:ft_irc 366 AliceNew #general :End of /NAMES list

Note: @ indicates operator

# Test without parameters (lists ALL channels):
NAMES

✅ You should see all channels you're in:

:ft_irc 353 AliceNew = #general :@AliceNew Bob Charlie
:ft_irc 353 AliceNew = #random :@AliceNew
:ft_irc 366 AliceNew * :End of /NAMES list

Test 3.8: NAMES (without # auto-correction)

# Terminal 2
NAMES general

✅ The server adds # automatically:

:ft_irc 353 AliceNew = #general :@AliceNew Bob Charlie
:ft_irc 366 AliceNew #general :End of /NAMES list

Test 3.9: NAMES (non-existent channel)

NAMES #noexiste

✅ Should give error:

:ft_irc 403 AliceNew #noexiste :No such channel

Test 3.10: NAMES (without being registered)

# New terminal without authentication
nc localhost 6667
PASS password123
NAMES #general

❌ Should fail:

:ft_irc 451 * :You have not registered

Test 3.11: WHO (detailed information of users in channel)

# Terminal 2 (Alice in #general with Bob)
WHO #general

✅ You should see (table format with colors):

:ft_irc 352 AliceNew #general alice 127.0.0.1 ft_irc AliceNew H@ :0 Alice Johnson
:ft_irc 352 AliceNew #general bob 127.0.0.1 ft_irc Bob H :0 Bob Smith
:ft_irc 315 AliceNew #general :End of /WHO list

Format: <channel> <user> <host> <server> <nick> <flags> :<hop> <realname>
Flags: H = here, H@ = here + channel operator

Test 3.12: WHO (search user by nickname)

# Terminal 2 (Alice searches for Bob)
WHO Bob

✅ You should see:

:ft_irc 352 AliceNew * bob 127.0.0.1 ft_irc Bob H :0 Bob Smith
:ft_irc 315 AliceNew Bob :End of /WHO list

Note: * indicates no channel specified (user search)

Test 3.13-3.16: Additional WHO tests

# Without parameters
WHO

# Non-existent user
WHO Charlie    # ✅ Error 401

# Non-existent channel
WHO #noexiste  # ✅ Error 403

# Without being registered
# ✅ Error 451

Test 3.17: WHOIS (complete user profile)

# Terminal 3 (Bob executes WHOIS)
WHOIS Alice

✅ You should see (5 lines with colors):

:ft_irc 311 Bob Alice alice 127.0.0.1 * :Alice Wonderland
:ft_irc 319 Bob Alice :@#general
:ft_irc 312 Bob Alice ft_irc :FT IRC Server
:ft_irc 317 Bob Alice 0 1766171247 :seconds idle, signon time
:ft_irc 318 Bob Alice :End of /WHOIS list

Format explained:

  • [311] RPL_WHOISUSER: <nick> <username> <host> * :<realname>
  • [319] RPL_WHOISCHANNELS: <nick> :<channels> (@ = operator)
  • [312] RPL_WHOISSERVER: <nick> <server> :<server info>
  • [317] RPL_WHOISIDLE: <nick> <idle_seconds> <signon_timestamp> :description
  • [318] RPL_ENDOFWHOIS: <nick> :End of /WHOIS list

Test 3.18: WHOIS (multiple channels)

# Terminal 2 (Alice in #general, #random, #dev)
JOIN #random
JOIN #dev

# Terminal 3 (Bob)
WHOIS Alice

✅ Line 319 should show:

:ft_irc 319 Bob Alice :@#general @#random @#dev

Test 3.19: WHOIS (idle time increases)

# Terminal 2 (Alice without writing anything for 30 seconds)

# Terminal 3 (Bob does WHOIS)
WHOIS Alice

✅ Should show:

:ft_irc 317 Bob Alice 30 1766171247 :seconds idle, signon time

If Alice writes something, the idle resets to 0-2 seconds.

Test 3.20-3.23: Additional WHOIS tests

# Non-existent user
WHOIS Charlie    # ✅ Error 401

# Without parameters
WHOIS            # ✅ Error 431

# Without being registered
# ✅ Error 451

# Comparison WHO vs WHOIS:
# WHO  = fast, multiple users, table format
# WHOIS = detailed, one user, complete profile

👑 PHASE 4: CHANNEL OPERATORS

Test 4.1: TOPIC (view and change)

# Terminal 2 (Alice - operator of #general)
TOPIC #general

✅ View current topic:

:ft_irc 331 AliceNew #general :No topic is set

# Change topic:
TOPIC #general :Welcome to the general channel!

✅ Everyone in the channel sees:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 TOPIC #general :Welcome to the general channel!

Test 4.2: TOPIC (non-operator user tries to change)

# Terminal 3 (Bob - NOT an operator)
TOPIC #general :Bob's topic

✅ Should fail with:

:ft_irc 482 Bob #general :You're not channel operator

(Only if +t mode is active, which is default)

Test 4.3: MODE +o (give operator)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
MODE #general +o Bob

✅ Everyone sees:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 MODE #general +o Bob

# Now Bob can change the topic:
# Terminal 3 (Bob)
TOPIC #general :Bob is now OP!

✅ Works

Test 4.4: KICK (expel user)

# Terminal 4 (Charlie - new user)
nc localhost 6667
PASS password123
NICK Charlie
USER charlie 0 * :Charlie
JOIN #general

# Terminal 2 (Alice expels Charlie)
KICK #general Charlie :Bad behavior

✅ Everyone in the channel sees:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 KICK #general Charlie :Bad behavior

✅ Charlie (Terminal 4) is expelled from the channel

Test 4.5: INVITE (invite to +i channel)

# Terminal 2 (Alice activates invite-only mode)
MODE #general +i

✅ Everyone sees:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 MODE #general +i

# Terminal 4 (Charlie tries to join)
JOIN #general

❌ Should fail:

:ft_irc 473 Charlie #general :Cannot join channel (+i)

# Terminal 2 (Alice invites Charlie)
INVITE Charlie #general

✅ Alice sees:

:ft_irc 341 AliceNew Charlie #general

✅ Charlie sees:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 INVITE Charlie #general

# Now Charlie can join:
# Terminal 4
JOIN #general

✅ Works

🔧 PHASE 5: CHANNEL MODES

Test 5.1: MODE +k (channel with password)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
MODE #general +k secretpass

✅ Confirmation:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 MODE #general +k secretpass

# Terminal 4 (Charlie disconnected, reconnects)
nc localhost 6667
PASS password123
NICK Charlie
USER charlie 0 * :Charlie
JOIN #general

❌ Should fail:

:ft_irc 475 Charlie #general :Cannot join channel (+k)

# Try with key:
JOIN #general secretpass

✅ Works

Test 5.2: MODE -k (remove password)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
MODE #general -k secretpass

✅ Confirmation:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 MODE #general -k *

Now anyone can join without key

Test 5.3: MODE +l (user limit)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
MODE #general +l 3

✅ Confirmation:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 MODE #general +l 3

# Verify current users:
# Alice, Bob, Charlie = 3 users (limit reached)

# Terminal 5 (new user Dave)
nc localhost 6667
PASS password123
NICK Dave
USER dave 0 * :Dave
JOIN #general

❌ Should fail:

:ft_irc 471 Dave #general :Cannot join channel (+l)

Test 5.4: MODE -l (remove limit)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
MODE #general -l

✅ Confirmation:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 MODE #general -l

# Now Dave can join:
# Terminal 5
JOIN #general

✅ Works

Test 5.5: MODE +t (topic restricted to OPs)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
MODE #general -t

✅ Now Bob (non-OP) can change the topic:

# Terminal 3 (Bob)
TOPIC #general :Anyone can change this

✅ Works

# Reactivate restriction:
# Terminal 2 (Alice)
MODE #general +t

# Now Bob can't:
# Terminal 3
TOPIC #general :Bob tries again

❌ Fails:

:ft_irc 482 Bob #general :You're not channel operator

Test 5.6: Query current modes

# Any user in the channel
MODE #general

✅ Should show:

:ft_irc 324 <nick> #general +it

👤 PHASE 6: USER MODES

Test 6.1: MODE +i (invisible)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
MODE Alice +i

✅ Confirmation:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 MODE AliceNew :+i

# Query mode:
MODE Alice

✅ Should show:

:ft_irc 221 AliceNew +i

Test 6.2: MODE -i (visible)

# Terminal 2
MODE Alice -i

✅ Confirmation:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 MODE AliceNew :-i

🔄 PHASE 7: MULTIPLE USERS AND CHANNELS

Test 7.1: Broadcast in channel with 3+ users

# Setup: Alice, Bob, Charlie in #general

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :Testing broadcast
  • ✅ Bob (Terminal 3) should see the message
  • ✅ Charlie (Terminal 4) should see the message
  • ⚠️ Alice should NOT see her own message reflected

Test 7.2: User in multiple channels receives only from the correct channel

# Setup:
# Alice: #general, #dev
# Bob: #general
# Charlie: #dev

# Terminal 2 (Alice in #general)
PRIVMSG #general :Message to general
  • ✅ Bob sees it
  • ❌ Charlie does NOT see it (not in #general)
# Terminal 2 (Alice in #dev)
PRIVMSG #dev :Message to dev
  • ✅ Charlie sees it
  • ❌ Bob does NOT see it (not in #dev)

Test 7.3: QUIT propagates to all channels

# Setup: Alice in #general and #dev with other users

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
QUIT :Goodbye!

✅ All users in #general and #dev see:

:AliceNew!alice@127.0.0.1 QUIT :Goodbye!

✅ On the server:

[DISCONNECT] fd=4 (graceful close)

⚠️ PHASE 8: EDGE CASES AND ERRORS

Test 8.1: Commands without registration

# New terminal without PASS/NICK/USER
nc localhost 6667

JOIN #test
PRIVMSG #test :Hello
KICK #test Bob

✅ All should give:

:ft_irc 451 * :You have not registered

Test 8.2: Missing parameters

# Registered terminal
JOIN
MODE
KICK #test
INVITE Charlie
TOPIC

✅ All should give:

:ft_irc 461 <nick> <CMD> :Not enough parameters

Test 8.3: Non-existent channel

PART #nonexistent
PRIVMSG #nonexistent :Hello

✅ Should give:

:ft_irc 403 <nick> #nonexistent :No such channel

Test 8.4: Non-existent user

PRIVMSG NonExistentUser :Hello

✅ Should give:

:ft_irc 401 <nick> NonExistentUser :No such nick/channel

Test 8.5: Try to kick without being OP

# Terminal 3 (Bob, non-OP)
KICK #general Charlie :Bye

✅ Should give:

:ft_irc 482 Bob #general :You're not channel operator

Test 8.6: Message flood (stress test)

# Terminal 2
for i in {1..100}; do echo "PRIVMSG #general :Message $i"; done | nc localhost 6667
  • ✅ The server should NOT crash
  • ✅ All messages should arrive (may take a few seconds)

Test 8.7: Abrupt disconnection (Ctrl+C on client)

# Terminal 3 (Bob)
# Press Ctrl+C without QUIT

✅ On server:

[DISCONNECT] fd=X (POLLHUP/ERR)

✅ Other users in Bob's channels see:

:Bob!bob@127.0.0.1 QUIT :Connection closed

Test 8.8: Special characters in messages

PRIVMSG #general :Test with émojis 🚀 and spëcial çhars

✅ Should transmit correctly

🧪 PHASE 9: INTEGRATION WITH REAL IRC CLIENTS

Test 9.1: HexChat

# 1. Open HexChat
# 2. Network List → Add
# 3. Name: "ft_irc_test"
# 4. Servers: localhost/6667
# 5. Edit → Password: password123
# 6. Connect
  • ✅ Should connect successfully
  • ✅ Should be able to JOIN, PRIVMSG, etc.

Test 9.2: Irssi

irssi

# Inside irssi:
/server add ft_irc localhost 6667 password123
/connect localhost 6667 password123 TestUser
/join #general

✅ Should work as a real server

Test 9.3: WeeChat

weechat

# Inside weechat:
/server add ft_irc localhost/6667
/set irc.server.ft_irc.password password123
/connect ft_irc
/join #general

✅ Should work

👥 Test Users

# User 1 (Alice)
PASS pass123
NICK Alice
USER alice 0 * :Alice

# User 2 (Bob)
PASS pass123
NICK Bob
USER bob 0 * :Bob

# User 3 (Charlie)
PASS pass123
NICK Charlie
USER charlie 0 * :Charlie

Test Channel

JOIN #general

Test Message

PRIVMSG #general :HELLO

🤖 BONUS: HELPBOT (IRC BOT)

Prerequisites

# 1. Compile the bot
make bot

# 2. In a separate terminal, make sure the server is running:
./ircserv 6667 pass123

Test B.1: Start the bot

# Bot Terminal
./bot 127.0.0.1 6667 pass123

✅ You should see:

[BOT] Connected to 127.0.0.1:6667
[BOT] -> PASS pass123
[BOT] -> NICK HelpBot
[BOT] -> USER helpbot 0 * :IRC Help Bot
[BOT] Authentication sent
[BOT] -> JOIN #general
[BOT] Joining channel: #general
[BOT] -> JOIN #help
[BOT] Joining channel: #help
[BOT] Bot is now running. Listening for messages...

Note: The bot automatically joins #general and #help

Test B.2: Verify the bot is in the channel

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
nc localhost 6667
PASS pass123
NICK Alice
USER alice 0 * :Alice
JOIN #general
NAMES #general

✅ You should see:

:ft_irc 353 Alice = #general :@HelpBot Alice
                              ^^^^^^^^
                              The bot is present with OP

Test B.3: Command !help (list of commands)

# Terminal 2 (Alice in #general)
PRIVMSG #general :!help

✅ Alice receives:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Available commands: !help, !time, !uptime, !echo <msg>, !joke, !ping

✅ On the bot (Bot Terminal):

[BOT] <- :Alice!alice@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :!help
[BOT] -> PRIVMSG #general :Available commands: !help, !time, !uptime, !echo <msg>, !joke, !ping

Test B.4: Command !time (current time)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!time

✅ Alice receives:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Current time: 2026-01-20 18:45:30
                                                            ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
                                                            System time

Test B.5: Command !uptime (running time)

# Terminal 2 (Alice - wait a few seconds after starting the bot)
PRIVMSG #general :!uptime

✅ Alice receives:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Bot uptime: 0h 2m 45s
                                                         ^^^^^^^^^^^
                                                         Time since startup

Test B.6: Command !echo (repeat message)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!echo Hello IRC World!

✅ Alice receives:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Hello IRC World!

# Test without arguments:
PRIVMSG #general :!echo

✅ Alice receives:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Usage: !echo <message>

Test B.7: Command !joke (random joke)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!joke

✅ Alice receives (one of 10 random jokes):

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Why do programmers prefer dark mode? Because light attracts bugs!

# Execute several times to see different jokes:
PRIVMSG #general :!joke
PRIVMSG #general :!joke

Test B.8: Command !ping (connection test)

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!ping

✅ Alice receives:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Pong! 🏓

Test B.9: Case-insensitive commands

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!HELP
PRIVMSG #general :!Time
PRIVMSG #general :!PiNg

✅ All work (the bot converts to lowercase)

Test B.10: Direct private message to the bot

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG HelpBot :!help

✅ Alice receives (PRIVATELY, NOT in the channel):

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG Alice :Available commands: !help, !time, !uptime, !echo <msg>, !joke, !ping
                                   ^^^^^
                                   Private response to Alice

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Other users in #general do NOT see this exchange

Test B.11: Private commands (all functions)

# Terminal 2 (Alice privately with the bot)
PRIVMSG HelpBot :!time
PRIVMSG HelpBot :!uptime
PRIVMSG HelpBot :!echo Testing private echo
PRIVMSG HelpBot :!joke
PRIVMSG HelpBot :!ping

✅ All responses arrive PRIVATELY to Alice

Test B.12: Multiple users using the bot simultaneously

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!time

# Terminal 3 (Bob - connected in #general)
nc localhost 6667
PASS pass123
NICK Bob
USER bob 0 * :Bob
JOIN #general
PRIVMSG #general :!joke
  • ✅ Both receive their responses in the channel
  • ✅ The bot does NOT get confused between users

Test B.13: Bot in #help channel

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
JOIN #help
PRIVMSG #help :!help

✅ The bot also responds in #help:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #help :Available commands: !help, !time, !uptime, !echo <msg>, !joke, !ping

Test B.14: Invalid commands ignored

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!invalid
PRIVMSG #general :!xyz123
PRIVMSG #general :Hello everyone
  • ✅ The bot does NOT respond (only processes valid commands starting with !)
  • ✅ Normal messages without '!' are ignored

Test B.15: Bot responds to server PING automatically

# Check in the Bot Terminal while it's running

✅ If the server sends PING, you should see:

[BOT] <- PING :ft_irc
[BOT] -> PONG :ft_irc

⚠️ IMPORTANT: This happens automatically, no intervention required

Test B.16: Verify bot cleans ANSI codes correctly

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!help

✅ The bot should respond correctly even if the server sends messages with ANSI color codes

✅ Should not send "56:13" or strange characters as target

Verify on the server that NO errors appear:

  • ❌ Should NOT see: [SERVER DEBUG] ERROR: Channel not found
  • ✅ The message is transmitted cleanly

Test B.17: Bot remains active with server under load

# Terminal 4 (generate traffic)
for i in {1..50}; do 
  echo "PRIVMSG #general :Message $i"; 
done | nc localhost 6667 &

# Terminal 2 (Alice - while there's traffic)
PRIVMSG #general :!ping
  • ✅ The bot continues responding correctly
  • ✅ Does NOT crash with multiple messages

Test B.18: Stop the bot with Ctrl+C

# Bot Terminal
# Press Ctrl+C

✅ The bot should close cleanly:

^C
[BOT] Bot stopped.

✅ On the server:

[DISCONNECT] fd=X (graceful close)

✅ Other users in #general and #help see:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 QUIT :Connection closed

Test B.19: Restart the bot and verify reset uptime

# Bot Terminal (after closing and restarting)
./bot 127.0.0.1 6667 pass123

# Wait a few seconds...

# Terminal 2 (Alice)
PRIVMSG #general :!uptime

✅ Alice receives:

:HelpBot!helpbot@127.0.0.1 PRIVMSG #general :Bot uptime: 0h 0m 15s
                                                         ^^^^^^^^^^^
                                                         Time since new start

Test B.20: Bot with incorrect parameters

# Test with invalid IP
./bot 999.999.999.999 6667 pass123

✅ Should show error without crashing:

[BOT] Error: Invalid IP address

# Test with invalid port
./bot 127.0.0.1 99999 pass123

✅ Should fail to connect:

[BOT] Error: Failed to connect to 127.0.0.1:99999

# Test with incorrect password
./bot 127.0.0.1 6667 wrongpass

✅ Should connect but be rejected:

[BOT] <- :ft_irc 464 * :Password incorrect

And then closes

🎯 Bot Summary

Available commands:

Command Description
!help List of available commands
!time Shows current system time
!uptime Shows how long the bot has been running
!echo <msg> Repeats the provided message
!joke Tells a random programming joke
!ping Responds with "Pong! 🏓"

Features:

✅ Connects automatically to the server
✅ Joins #general and #help on startup
✅ Responds in public channels
✅ Responds to private messages
✅ Case-insensitive commands
✅ Handles PING/PONG automatically
✅ Cleans ANSI codes from server
✅ Doesn't crash with multiple users
✅ Clean shutdown with Ctrl+C

Usage:

make bot
./bot <IP> <PORT> <PASSWORD>

Example:

./bot 127.0.0.1 6667 pass123

📚 Resources

Documentation

Tools Used

  • netcat (nc) - Simple TCP/IP client for testing
  • HexChat - Graphical IRC client for testing
  • Irssi - Terminal IRC client
  • WeeChat - Extensible IRC client
  • Valgrind - Memory leak and memory error detection

Use of Artificial Intelligence

In this project GitHub Copilot and ChatGPT have been used as assistance tools in the following areas:

  • Correction of parsing and code errors
  • Code optimization
  • Technical explanations of C++ and IRC protocol
  • Help with organization and work distribution
  • Help in general approach and file structure
  • Testing suggestions and edge case management

Important: All code generated or suggested by AI was:

  • ✅ Reviewed and fully understood by the team
  • ✅ Adapted to the specific project requirements
  • ✅ Exhaustively tested in multiple scenarios
  • ✅ Validated against the 42 norm and C++98 standard

AI was used as a support tool, not as an automatic code generator. The design, architecture and main technical decisions were made by the development team.

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A repository for the project ft_irc from 42-Madrid

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