This project provides two different WebSocket-based setups for a Tic-Tac-Toe game:

1. Basic WebSocket (ws package) – A simple WebSocket server using the ws npm package.
2. Socket.io with Express Backend – A WebSocket server using socket.io integrated with an Express server.

This setup uses the ws npm package to create a WebSocket server on port 8080. The client code is a simple index.html file that connects to the WebSocket server.

• WebSocket server runs on port 8080.
• The client (index.html) can be opened via a file explorer or a live server.
• Two instances of the same page must be opened to play.
• The game starts when two players are connected.
• Moves and messages are communicated between the two players in real-time.
• No user-level identity check is implemented, so the same user can connect multiple times.

1. Clone the project:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd tic-tac-ws

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Start the WebSocket server:

   npm run dev   # Development mode
   npm run start # Production mode

4. Open index.html using a live server or directly in the browser.

This setup uses an Express server with socket.io to handle WebSocket connections on the same port as the web server.

• WebSocket server runs alongside an Express backend.
• The game page is accessible via http://localhost:3000/.
• Client and server communicate over predefined socket.io events.
• Game win/draw status handling is implemented.
• User identity is maintained using browser cookies, preventing the same user from connecting multiple times as different players.

1. Clone the project if not already done:

   git clone <repository-url>

2. Navigate to the Express-based setup:

   cd tic-tac-ws/express-socketio

3. Install dependencies:

   npm install

4. Start the WebSocket + Express server:

   npm run dev:socketio   # Development mode
   npm run start:socketio # Production mode

5. Open the game page in a browser:

   http://localhost:3000/
   

• Ensure Node.js is installed before running the project. Node@18 and above.
• For the basic WebSocket version, use a live server for better performance.
• Both setups require two players to start a game.
• The Express + Socket.io version maintains a browser-level identity check using cookies, preventing duplicate connections from the same user.

Happy Coding! 🎮