diff --git a/2024/08/chat_demo1/chat_demo1_web/src/main/java/ch/polgrabia/demos/client/WebsocketClientParticle.java b/2024/08/chat_demo1/chat_demo1_web/src/main/java/ch/polgrabia/demos/client/WebsocketClientParticle.java
index 1852f44..cafe94d 100644
--- a/2024/08/chat_demo1/chat_demo1_web/src/main/java/ch/polgrabia/demos/client/WebsocketClientParticle.java
+++ b/2024/08/chat_demo1/chat_demo1_web/src/main/java/ch/polgrabia/demos/client/WebsocketClientParticle.java
@@ -2,9 +2,8 @@ package ch.polgrabia.demos.client;
 
 import io.vertx.core.AbstractVerticle;
 import io.vertx.core.AsyncResult;
-import io.vertx.core.http.HttpClient;
-import io.vertx.core.http.HttpClientOptions;
-import io.vertx.core.http.WebSocket;
+import io.vertx.core.buffer.Buffer;
+import io.vertx.core.http.*;
 import io.vertx.core.http.impl.WebSocketClientImpl;
 import io.vertx.core.impl.CloseFuture;
 import io.vertx.core.impl.VertxInternal;
@@ -22,6 +21,8 @@ public class WebsocketClientParticle extends AbstractVerticle {
     private HttpClient client;
     private boolean isShuttingDownActivated = false;
     private final Object runningMonitor = new Object();
+    private HttpServer server;
+    private WebSocket webSocket;
 
     public WebsocketClientParticle(String hostname, int port, String path) {
         this.hostname = hostname;
@@ -33,10 +34,42 @@ public class WebsocketClientParticle extends AbstractVerticle {
     public void start() {
         this.client = getVertx()
                 .createHttpClient();
+        HttpServerOptions httpServerOptions = new HttpServerOptions();
+        this.server = getVertx().createHttpServer(httpServerOptions);
+        this.server.requestHandler(this::handleCommandRequests);
+        this.server.listen(8123, "localhost", this::handleListenCommand);
+        logger.info("Starting websocket client command server");
         new WebSocketClientImpl((VertxInternal) getVertx(), new HttpClientOptions(), new CloseFuture())
                 .webSocket(port, hostname, path, this::handleMessage);
     }
 
+    private void handleListenCommand(AsyncResult<HttpServer> httpServerAsyncResult) {
+        if (httpServerAsyncResult.failed()) {
+            logger.warn("Couldn't initialized http command server");
+            getVertx().close();
+            System.exit(1);
+        }
+
+        logger.info("Successfully started websocket client command server");
+
+        HttpServer result = httpServerAsyncResult.result();
+    }
+
+    private void handleCommandRequests(HttpServerRequest httpServerRequest) {
+        logger.info("Received command request on 8123");
+        HttpServerResponse response = httpServerRequest.response();
+        String qParam = httpServerRequest.getParam("q");
+        if (qParam == null || qParam.isBlank()) {
+            response.setStatusCode(400);
+            response.end("bad request");
+            return;
+        }
+        logger.info("Sending binary message: {}", qParam);
+        webSocket.writeBinaryMessage(Buffer.buffer(qParam));
+        response.setStatusCode(202);
+        response.end("Ok");
+    }
+
     private void handleMessage(AsyncResult<WebSocket> webSocketAsyncResult) {
         logger.info("Handling websocket");
         if (!webSocketAsyncResult.succeeded()) {
@@ -48,7 +81,7 @@ public class WebsocketClientParticle extends AbstractVerticle {
             }
             return;
         }
-        WebSocket webSocket = webSocketAsyncResult.result();
+        this.webSocket = webSocketAsyncResult.result();
         vertx.setPeriodic(100, new ClientPeriodicStdinScanner(
                 webSocket,
                 System.in
@@ -70,6 +103,7 @@ public class WebsocketClientParticle extends AbstractVerticle {
     public void stop() {
         isShuttingDownActivated = true;
         client.close();
+        server.close();
         synchronized (runningMonitor) {
             runningMonitor.notifyAll();
         }
diff --git a/2024/08/chat_demo1/chat_demo1_web/src/main/java/ch/polgrabia/demos/server/WebsocketServerHandler.java b/2024/08/chat_demo1/chat_demo1_web/src/main/java/ch/polgrabia/demos/server/WebsocketServerHandler.java
index 138c179..fae7a77 100644
--- a/2024/08/chat_demo1/chat_demo1_web/src/main/java/ch/polgrabia/demos/server/WebsocketServerHandler.java
+++ b/2024/08/chat_demo1/chat_demo1_web/src/main/java/ch/polgrabia/demos/server/WebsocketServerHandler.java
@@ -71,7 +71,9 @@ public class WebsocketServerHandler implements Handler<ServerWebSocket> {
             String channel = serverWebSocket.path();
             logger.info("[{}] Got message {}", channel, s);
             serverWebSocket.writeBinaryMessage(Buffer.buffer("Pong: " + s.toString() + "\n")); // TBD send to kafka
-            kafkaProducer.send(new ProducerRecord<>(channel, channel, s.getBytes())); // kafka setup needs to be checked
+            if (kafkaProducer != null) {
+                kafkaProducer.send(new ProducerRecord<>(channel, channel, s.getBytes())); // kafka setup needs to be checked
+            }
         }
     }
 
diff --git a/2024/08/chat_demo1/tools/docker-compose.yaml b/2024/08/chat_demo1/tools/docker-compose.yaml
index eb2afae..9b2f3c4 100644
--- a/2024/08/chat_demo1/tools/docker-compose.yaml
+++ b/2024/08/chat_demo1/tools/docker-compose.yaml
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ services:
       KAFKA_ADVERTISED_LISTENERS: PLAINTEXT://:9092
       KAFKA_CONTROLLER_LISTENER_NAMES: CONTROLLER
       KAFKA_LISTENER_SECURITY_PROTOCOL_MAP: CONTROLLER:PLAINTEXT,PLAINTEXT:PLAINTEXT
+      KAFKA_CONTROLLER_QUORUM_VOTERS: 1@:9093
       KAFKA_OFFSETS_TOPIC_REPLICATION_FACTOR: 1
       KAFKA_TRANSACTION_STATE_LOG_REPLICATION_FACTOR: 1
       KAFKA_TRANSACTION_STATE_LOG_MIN_ISR: 1