DeMeS

This project's aim is to implement a decentralized private chat messaging service and protocol that addresses new host selection upon the current host going offline. Instead of a centralized server to process chat messages, a peer-to-peer network of participants (clients) in a group chat communicate via an agreed-upon host (server) who propagates collective state back to the group. The primary components of this project is designing the leadership selection and communication protocol, while the actual implementation of messaging clients/servers are just necessary to showcase the functionality. Therefore, we have defined some stretch goals in attempts to deploy a working finished product beyond designing a leadership selection procedure and protocol alone. This solution needs to provide chat functionality between users through a selected host, and the network of participants need to have consensus on message ordering, host status, and leadership selection upon a host going offline defined in a formal protocol. In terms of actual implementation, this project includes a host/client application that implements the protocol, using a simple server, interface, and abstracted messaging framework.