Is a Chat Project Feasible for Java Beginners?

Definitely go for it! You might want to check out Google Pub/Sub for some backend functionalities. A solid key-value store combined with a pub/sub model can take you far!

I built a chat application for my first Python project, and while getting it to run wasn't too hard, making it robust was a different story. The real learning curve lies in networking, so don't shy away from it. If you can work with HTML requests and use a browser as the client, that could simplify things a bit.

As a web developer, I recommend checking GitHub for any existing chat projects. It's a goldmine for understanding how things are put together. Just make sure to read the code and grasp what the developer did rather than copying it straight up. That's how you'll learn!

Absolutely, go for the chat project! There's really no such thing as 'too difficult for your current skills.' Every time you step out of your comfort zone, you're learning something new. If this is what you want to build, dive in! There are tons of resources out there to help you fill in the gaps in your knowledge.