Discover SmallChat: The World’s Smallest Open‑Source Chat Server in 200 Lines of C
This article introduces SmallChat, an ultra‑minimal open‑source chat server created by the Redis founder, highlighting its 200‑line C implementation, design philosophy, future roadmap, and where to find the source code.
World’s Smallest Chat Server
The Redis creator has released a new open‑source project called SmallChat , aiming to be the tiniest chat server possible.
According to the repository, the entire implementation consists of just over 200 lines of C code after removing comments, demonstrating extreme minimalism.
The README currently provides background and future outlook rather than detailed usage instructions. The author encourages readers to study the project to understand the thinking of an excellent developer.
He recounts a conversation about writing a simple IRC‑style server, describing how a single‑process, multiplexed design can handle client state and broadcast messages, using kernel buffers and assuming each read yields a full line.
Future work outlined includes:
Implement buffered read and write
Replace linear arrays with a dictionary‑style client state store
Write a proper client capable of asynchronous line editing
Move from select(2) to a higher‑level API
Add simple symmetric encryption for chat
The project’s GitHub address is https://github.com/antirez/smallchat.
Signed-in readers can open the original source through BestHub's protected redirect.
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Programmer DD
A tinkering programmer and author of "Spring Cloud Microservices in Action"
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