A lightweight command-line chat application for local network communication using UDP broadcast. Enables instant messaging within your local network without requiring a central server, making it perfect for quick team communications, local events, or classroom settings.
- Instant local network messaging
- No server required (uses UDP broadcast)
- Simple command-line interface
- Username support
- Cross-platform support (Linux, macOS)
- Auto-detection of network interface
- Clean interface using ncurses
- GCC compiler
- ncurses library (automatically installed by the installer)
- Network connection
- Root/sudo access for installation
-
Extract the package:
tar -xzf lanmess.tar.gz cd lanmess -
Install the program:
- For Linux:
sudo ./install.sh
- For macOS:
./install.sh
- For Linux:
-
Restart your terminal or run:
- For Linux:
source ~/.bashrc
- For macOS:
source ~/.zshrc # or ~/.bash_profile
- For Linux:
Start the program:
- Without username (uses IP address as identifier):
lanmess
- With username:
lanmess <username>
Navigation:
- Type your message and press
ENTERto send - Messages appear in the main window with sender identification
- Press
CTRL+Cto exit
To remove the program:
- For Linux:
sudo ./uninstall.sh
- For macOS:
./uninstall.sh
- If messages aren't sending, check your firewall settings for UDP port 12345
- If the interface looks broken, ensure your terminal supports ncurses
- For installation issues, ensure you have the required permissions
Please read CONTRIBUTING.md for details on our code of conduct and the process for submitting pull requests.
See also the list of contributors who participated in this project.
For security-related issues, please read our SECURITY.md before reporting.
For help and support, please check SUPPORT.md.
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for more details.