Chat Application Deployment Guide

Overview

This document explains how to deploy the Chat Application locally. It lists all dependencies, database setup instructions, build steps, and how to verify that the system is functioning correctly.

The repository also includes a working script called deploy.sh which automates most of the setup process.

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Project Structure

Important directories in the repository:

client/
business/
data/
service/
sql/
Makefile
deploy.sh
README.md

Each directory corresponds to a layer in the application architecture.

• Client layer – browser interface and test client
• Service layer – HTTP server
• Business layer – application logic
• Data layer – database access
• SQL directory – schema and seed data

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Required Software

Arch Linux

sudo pacman -Syu
sudo pacman -S base-devel mariadb gcc make asio

Debian / Ubuntu

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential mariadb-server \
                 default-libmysqlclient-dev libasio-dev

Required components:

• MariaDB database server
• MariaDB client development libraries
• ASIO networking library
• g++ compiler with C++17 support
• make build tool

Crow headers are included in the repository.

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Once you have all of the dependencies, just run deploy.sh. Everything below is for running it manually.

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Database Setup

Start MariaDB:

sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Create the database and user:

sudo mariadb <<SQL
CREATE DATABASE IF NOT EXISTS chat_app;
CREATE USER IF NOT EXISTS 'chat_user'@'localhost'
IDENTIFIED BY 'chatpass';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON chat_app.* TO 'chat_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
SQL

Import schema and seed data:

mariadb -u chat_user -pchatpass chat_app < sql/tables.sql
mariadb -u chat_user -pchatpass chat_app < sql/insert.sql

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Building the Project

From the project root directory:

make clean
make

This compiles the server binary.

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Running the Server

Start the server:

./mychat-server

Open the application in a browser:

http://localhost:18080

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Verification

To confirm the system works:

1. Open the web interface.
2. Create a user through the UI.

Verify with SQL:

mariadb -u chat_user -pchatpass chat_app -e \
"SELECT * FROM users;"

3. Create a conversation.
4. Send a message.

Verify messages in the database:

mariadb -u chat_user -pchatpass chat_app -e \
"SELECT * FROM messages;"

5. Edit a message.
6. Delete a message.

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Testing the API

Example request:

curl http://localhost:18080/users

Query recent messages:

mariadb -u chat_user -pchatpass chat_app -e \
"SELECT * FROM messages ORDER BY message_id DESC LIMIT 10;"

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Troubleshooting

Database does not exist

Create it manually:

CREATE DATABASE chat_app;

Server returns 404

Ensure the server is started from the repository root directory.

MariaDB running with skip-grant-tables

Restart MariaDB:

sudo systemctl restart mariadb

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Screenshot Checklist

Include screenshots showing:

1. Web interface loaded
2. Creating a user
3. Database showing inserted user
4. Creating a conversation
5. Sending a message
6. Editing a message
7. Deleting a message
8. Running the automated test client