CodeTogether: Real-time Code Editor Application for Collaborative Programming

Abstract

The world of Internet is growing rapidly, many applications that previously created on the desktop start moving to the web. Many applicationscouldbeaccessedanytimeandanywhereeasilyusingInternet.Developersneedtoolstocreatetheirapplications, oneofthem namedcodeeditor.Thepurposeofthisresearchistodesignanddevelopareal-timecodeeditorapplicationusing websocket technologytohelpuserscollaboratewhileworkingontheproject.Thisapplicationprovidesafeaturewhereuserscancollaborateonaprojectinreal-time.Theauthorsusinganalysismethodologywhichconductingonastudyofthecurrent code editor applications, distributing questionnaires and conducting on literature study.CodeTogether is a web application that provides workspace to writing, perform, display the results of the code through the terminal, and collaborate with other users in real-time. The application main features are providing workspace to make, execute and build the source code, real-time collaboration, chat, and build the terminal. This application supports C, C++, and Java programming languages.

Introduction

The development of software engineering tools has shifted from desktop-based IDEs to web-based environments, addressing issues like lengthy setup and plug-in installation on multiple devices. Web-based IDEs enable ubiquitous access, real-time collaboration, and eliminate local configuration. Real-time communication (RTC) technologies integrate voice, messaging, and collaborative applications, allowing programmers to work synchronously on code, share progress, and communicate effectively regardless of location.

The research focuses on designing a collaborative web-based code editor supporting C, C++, and Java, which allows users to create, edit, run, and build projects while collaborating in real-time. Features include syntax checking, chat communication, file import/export, and automatic saving.

Related research highlights the importance of synchronization in collaborative programming, with real-time editing systems and protocols to manage multiple users editing simultaneously. Tools like ICI and Collabode demonstrate the integration of real-time collaboration and debugging in virtual environments, enhancing software development and education.

The proposed application, CodeTogether, integrates Facebook login for easy access and social collaboration, providing a workspace where users can manage projects, communicate, and collaborate with access controls. The architecture supports chat messaging, project sharing, and terminal display for code execution results, aiming to improve team productivity and project quality through real-time collaborative features.

Conclusion

This paper introduced our design and implementation of the real-time application for collaboration. CodeTogether is a web application that helps programmers to create and see the result of the executed source code by terminal, collaborate in real-time with other programmers by chat or invite to join the same project and manage the projectsuch as import, export, shared projects. CodeTogether supports C, C ++, and Java programming languages. CodeTogether has the mainfeatures:provideworkspacetomake,executeandbuildthesourcecode,real-time collaboration,chat, and build the terminal.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Shruti Thakur, Asst. Prof. Aastha Tripathi. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.