MUX: Multi-User MUD Proxy

MUX is a lightweight and efficient TCP proxy for Multi-User Dungeon (MUD) servers. It acts as a middleman between clients and the MUD server, allowing multiple clients to connect to the same server instance. MUX maintains a persistent connection to the MUD server, even if no clients are connected, ensuring that no input from the server is missed.

Features

• Persistent MUD Connection: Keeps the MUD connection active even when no clients are connected.
• Client Broadcasting: Forwards data from the MUD server to all connected clients.
• Logging: Configurable logging with support for log rotation using lumberjack.
• Graceful Shutdown: Cleans up resources and disconnects clients properly on termination.

Requirements

• Go 1.16 or higher
• Internet access to connect to a MUD server

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mux.git
   cd mux

2. Build the binary:

   go build -o mud-mux

3. Run the application:

   ./mudmux --mud <MUD_SERVER_ADDRESS> --local <LOCAL_ADDRESS> --log <LOG_FILE>

Usage

Command-Line Arguments

• --mud: Address of the MUD server in the format host:port.
• --local: Local address to listen on for client connections. Default: :8888.
• --log: Path to the log file. If omitted, logs are printed to stdout.

Example

Run MUX with the following settings:

./mud-mux --mud "mud.example.com:4000" --local ":9000" --log "logs/mux.log"

Connecting a Client

1. Start the MUX proxy.
2. Connect your MUD client to the local address (e.g., localhost:9000).
3. Interact with the MUD server through the proxy.

How It Works

1. MUX connects to the specified MUD server and keeps the connection alive.
2. It listens for incoming client connections on the specified local address.
3. When a client connects:
   • Input from the client is forwarded to the MUD server.
   • Output from the MUD server is broadcasted to all connected clients.
4. If no clients are connected, MUX continues to read and log data from the MUD server.

Graceful Shutdown

To stop the MUX server:

1. Press Ctrl+C.
2. MUX will:
   • Disconnect all clients.
   • Close the MUD server connection.
   • Clean up resources.

Logging

MUX supports logging with optional rotation via the lumberjack library. Logs include:

• Timestamps
• Connection events
• Data transfer between clients and the MUD server
• Errors during operation

Log Rotation Settings

• Max Size: 500 MB
• Max Backups: 3
• Max Age: 28 days
• Compression: Enabled

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Feel free to submit issues, feature requests, or pull requests to improve MUX.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.

Acknowledgments

• lumberjack for log rotation.