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Arthas

Getting Started

Prerequisites

ToolMinimum VersionDescription
Go1.22+Backend compilation and runtime
Node.js18+Frontend build and runtime
npm9+Package manager
Git2.xCode cloning

Browser Support

BrowserMinimum Version
Chrome90+
Firefox90+
Safari15+
Edge90+

Web Crypto API requires modern browser support. IE is not supported.

Step 1: Clone the Project

Terminal window
git clone https://github.com/michaelwang123/arthas.git
cd arthas

Step 2: Start the Backend

Terminal window
cd arthas-server


# Download dependencies
go mod tidy


# Start the server
go run cmd/server/main.go

On successful startup you will see:

2024/01/01 12:00:00 Server starting on :8080

The server listens on port 8080 by default, with the WebSocket endpoint at ws://localhost:8080/ws.

Verify the Backend

Terminal window
# Check if the server is running
curl http://localhost:8080/ws
# Should return "Bad Request" (because it's not a WebSocket upgrade request)

Step 3: Start the Frontend

Open a new terminal window:

Terminal window
cd arthas-client


# Install dependencies
npm install


# Start the development server
npm run dev

On successful startup you will see:

  VITE v6.x.x  ready in xxx ms


  ➜  Local:   http://localhost:5173/

Step 4: Start Using

Option 1: Web Client

  1. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5173
  2. Enter a nickname and click “Create Room”
  3. Copy the generated share code
  4. Open another browser window (or incognito mode)
  5. Enter a nickname and the share code, then click “Join”
  6. Start chatting with end-to-end encryption!

Option 2: CLI Client

Terminal window
cd arthas-cli


# Build
go build -o arthas-cli ./cmd/arthas-cli/


# Create a room
./arthas-cli create --server ws://localhost:8080/ws --name Alice
# Outputs a share code, copy it


# Join from another terminal
./arthas-cli join <share_code> --server ws://localhost:8080/ws --name Bob

The CLI and Web clients are interoperable — rooms created with the Web client can be joined via CLI, and vice versa.

Verifying Encryption

You can verify that messages are truly encrypted in the following ways:

  1. Check server logs — Server logs only contain connection/room events, with no message content
  2. Browser developer tools — WebSocket messages in the Network panel appear as binary data (MessagePack-encoded ciphertext)
  3. Wrong key — Join with an incorrect share code, and received messages will display “Unable to decrypt this message”

FAQ

Frontend can’t connect to the backend?

Check the WebSocket URL in the .env.development file:

VITE_WS_URL=ws://localhost:8080/ws

Make sure the backend is running and the port matches.

Port already in use?

The backend port can be changed via an environment variable:

Terminal window
PORT=9090 go run cmd/server/main.go

The frontend port is configured in vite.config.ts:

server: {
  port: 4000,
}

Go dependency download fails?

Set a Go proxy (for users in mainland China):

Terminal window
go env -w GOPROXY=https://goproxy.cn,direct

Next Steps