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Using the `chat2` application

Background

The chat2 application is a basic command-line chat app using the Waku v2 suite of protocols. It connects to a fleet of test nodes to provide end-to-end p2p chat capabilities. The Waku team is currently using this application for internal testing. If you want try our protocols, or join the dogfooding fun, follow the instructions below.

Preparation

Ensure you have cloned the nim-waku repository and installed all prerequisites as per these instructions.

Make the chat2 target.

make chat2

Basic application usage

To start the chat2 application in its most basic form, run the following from the project directory

./build/chat2

You should be prompted to provide a nickname for the chat session.

Choose a nickname >>

After entering a nickname, the app will randomly select and connect to a peer from the test fleet.

No static peers configured. Choosing one at random from test fleet...

Wait for the chat prompt (>>) and chat away!

Retrieving historical messages

The chat2 application can retrieve historical chat messages from a node supporting and running the Waku v2 store protocol. Just specify the selected node's multiaddr as storenode when starting the app:

./build/chat2 --storenode:/ip4/134.209.139.210/tcp/30303/p2p/16Uiu2HAmPLe7Mzm8TsYUubgCAW1aJoeFScxrLj8ppHFivPo97bUZ

Alternatively, the chat2 application will select a random storenode for you from the test fleet if the store option is set to true and storenode left unspecified.

./build/chat2 --store:true

NOTE: Currently (Mar 3, 2021) the only node in the test fleet that provides reliable store functionality is /ip4/134.209.139.210/tcp/30303/p2p/16Uiu2HAmPLe7Mzm8TsYUubgCAW1aJoeFScxrLj8ppHFivPo97bUZ. We're working on fixing this.

Specifying a static peer

In order to connect to a specific node as relay peer, define that node's multiaddr as a staticnode when starting the app:

./build/chat2 --staticnode:/ip4/134.209.139.210/tcp/30303/p2p/16Uiu2HAmPLe7Mzm8TsYUubgCAW1aJoeFScxrLj8ppHFivPo97bUZ

This will bypass the random peer selection process and connect to the specified node.

In-chat options

Command	Effect
`/help`	displays available in-chat commands
`/connect`	interactively connect to a new peer
`/nick`	change nickname for current chat session

`chat2` message protobuf format

Each chat2 message is encoded as follows

message Chat2Message {
  uint64 timestamp = 1;
  string nick = 2;
  bytes payload = 3;
}

where timestamp is the Unix timestamp of the message, nick is the relevant chat2 user's selected nickname and payload is the actual chat message being sent. The payload is the byte array representation of a UTF8 encoded string.

3.0 KiB Raw Blame History

Using the chat2 application