ChatServerBackend

A lightweight Python chat server backend built for real server deployment. Based on the custom HTTP server framework from Chat_Server and extended with MySQL persistence and structured logging for production use.

Features

• Custom Python HTTP server (no heavy frameworks)
• MySQL-backed message and user storage
• CSV-based request/access logging
• Environment-driven configuration via .env
• Designed to run on a real Linux server (e.g. via systemd or screen)

Requirements

• Python 3.10+
• MySQL / MariaDB server running and accessible
• Python packages (install via pip):

pip install -r requirements.txt

If there is no requirements.txt yet, you will need at minimum: mysql-connector-python and python-dotenv.

Project Structure

ChatServerBackend/
├── src/                        # Server source code
├── Configurations/
│   └── mysql.conf              # MySQL connection config (not committed)
├── Logs/
│   └── base_log.csv            # Access / base log file (not committed)
├── .env                        # Environment variable file (not committed)
├── .gitignore
└── README.md

Configuration

Three files must be created manually before running the server. They are excluded from version control via .gitignore.

1. Configurations/mysql.conf

Create the directory and file:

mkdir -p Configurations

[DEFAULT]
host = localhost
port = 3306

[root]
user = your_mysql_username
password = your_mysql_password

Replace your_mysql_username and your_mysql_password with your actual MySQL credentials.

2. Logs/base_log.csv

Create the log directory and an empty log file:

mkdir -p Logs
touch Logs/base_log.csv

3. .env

Create a .env file in the project root:

MYSQL_CONFIG_FILE=./Configurations/mysql.conf
MYSQL_USER_NAME=root
BASE_LOGFILE=Logs/base_log.csv

Adjust MYSQL_USER_NAME to match the section name in your mysql.conf if you use a different database user.

Running the Server

From the project root:

python src/main.py

The exact entry point filename may vary — check the src/ directory for the main server file.

Running persistently with screen

screen -S chatserver
python src/main.py
# Detach with Ctrl+A, then D

Security Notes

• Restrict MySQL user permissions to only the database this server needs.
• If exposing the server to the internet, consider placing it behind a reverse proxy (nginx or Caddy) and using TLS.

Related Projects

• Chat_Server — Original chat server prototype with custom HTTP framework
• Media-System — Media handling component used in this backend