socket-lab

A terminal-first CLI for testing Socket.IO servers locally.

GitHub repository: ShashwatDhingra/socket-lab

socket-lab gives you a simple interactive REPL for connecting to a Socket.IO server, joining rooms, sending messages, and watching live events from the terminal.

Features

• Connect to Socket.IO servers from the terminal
• Join, switch, and leave rooms interactively
• Send chat-style messages directly from the REPL
• Inspect events with built-in debug commands
• Use the included local test server for quick development

Requirements

• Node.js 18 or newer

Install

npm install -g socket-lab

Or run it without a global install:

npx socket-lab connect http://localhost:3000

Usage

socket-lab connect http://localhost:3000

If you are developing this project locally:

npm install
npm start -- connect http://localhost:3000

The REPL is chat-native:

• Slash commands drive control flow, for example /join backend-room
• Plain text is sent directly to the active room
• The prompt shows your active identity and room context

Example Session

socket-lab connect http://localhost:3000
/nick john
/join backend-room
hello from terminal one
/status

Local Test Server

Run the included Express + Socket.IO server:

npm run test-server

Then connect the CLI in another terminal:

socket-lab connect http://localhost:3000

Try this sequence:

/nick john
/join backend-room
hello from terminal one
/status
/rooms
/history

Open another terminal and connect a second client:

socket-lab connect http://localhost:3000
/nick alice
/join backend-room
hello from terminal two

Both terminals will receive the shared room_message and room_system events.

Development

Install dependencies:

npm install

Run the syntax check:

npm run check

Start the local test server:

npm run test-server

Slash Commands

• /nick <username>
• /join <room_name>
• /use <room_name>
• /leave [room_name]
• /say <message>
• /msg <message>
• /rooms
• /status
• /whoami
• /clear
• /history
• /help
• /exit

Advanced transport/debug commands still exist for power users:

• /emit <event_name> <json_payload>
• /on <event_name>
• /off <event_name>

Notes

• All incoming events are logged with a global onAny() listener.
• Session logs are persisted to .socket-lab.log in the current working directory.
• Command and event-name autocomplete is available in the REPL.

Contributor

This package is maintained by: