Creating a real-time chat application from scratch using WebSockets in Python is a powerful way to understand how bidirectional communication works on the web. This guide shows you how to implement a simple WebSocket-based chat server and client without relying on frameworks like Django or Flask.

What You’ll Need

  • Python 3.7+
  • websockets library (pip install websockets)
  • Basic HTML/CSS for the frontend

Step 1: Set Up a Simple WebSocket Server

import asyncio
import websockets

connected_clients = set()

async def echo(websocket, path):
    connected_clients.add(websocket)
    try:
        async for message in websocket:
            for client in connected_clients:
                if client != websocket:
                    await client.send(message)
    except websockets.exceptions.ConnectionClosed:
        pass
    finally:
        connected_clients.remove(websocket)

start_server = websockets.serve(echo, "localhost", 6789)

asyncio.get_event_loop().run_until_complete(start_server)
asyncio.get_event_loop().run_forever()

This server accepts new connections and relays messages to all other clients.

Step 2: Create the HTML Chat Interface




  WebSocket Chat


  
Chat App

  
  
  
    

  


    This frontend connects to the server and allows message sending and receiving in real-time.
    Step 3: Run the App
    1. Run the Python server: python chat_server.py
    2. Open the HTML file in multiple browser tabs.
    3. Type messages and see them appear across all clients instantly.
    Security Considerations
      
  
    • Use authentication for production environments.
      • 
  
    • Consider using secure WebSockets (wss://) over HTTPS.
      • 
  
    • Validate all messages on the server side.
      • 

    Conclusion
    This simple yet powerful project introduces you to the inner workings of WebSockets and real-time messaging. With no frameworks involved, you gain full control over the communication pipeline.
    If you found this helpful, please consider supporting my work: buymeacoffee.com/hexshift