diff --git a/src/server.js b/src/server.js
index c58009e..f24ce01 100644
--- a/src/server.js
+++ b/src/server.js
@@ -92,7 +92,12 @@ server.create = function create(config = {}) {
 
                         break;
                     case "JOIN":
+                        if (!(tokenized[1].charAt(0) === "#")) {
+                            socket.write(`:irc.example.com ${ERR_CANNOTSENDTOCHAN}: invalid channel name`)
+                            break;
+                        }
                         let channelname = tokenized[1]
+
                         if (Object.keys(channellist).includes(channelname)) {
                           channellist[channelname].join(user)
                         } else {
diff --git a/test/command_join.js b/test/command_join.js
index 6ea8ac3..55d90a9 100644
--- a/test/command_join.js
+++ b/test/command_join.js
@@ -25,6 +25,29 @@ describe("JOIN OK", function () {
         mockedSock.emit('data', Buffer.from("USER guest tolmoon tolsun :Ronnie Reagan\r\n", "ascii"))
         mockedSock.emit('data', Buffer.from("JOIN #testchan\r\n", "ascii"))
     })
+    it("try to join/create channel with invalid channel name (no #)", function (done) {
+        const server = IRCServer.create()
+        let mockedSock = new EventEmitter()
+        mockedSock.address = function () {
+            return {port: 12346, family: 'IPv4', address: '127.0.0.1'}
+        }
+        mockedSock.write = function (data) {
+            let answer = data.toString("ascii")
+            if (answer.indexOf("404") >= 0) {
+                assert.equal(answer, ":irc.example.com 404: invalid channel name")
+                done()
+            }
+
+        }
+        mockedSock.destroy = function () {
+            done("Destroyed socket without answering")
+        }
+
+        server.emit("connection", mockedSock)
+        mockedSock.emit('data', Buffer.from("NICK some_nick\r\n", "ascii"))
+        mockedSock.emit('data', Buffer.from("USER guest tolmoon tolsun :Ronnie Reagan\r\n", "ascii"))
+        mockedSock.emit('data', Buffer.from("JOIN testchan\r\n", "ascii"))
+    })
 
     it("should handle a JOIN command for more than one user -> JOIN #testchan and send join events to all channel members", function (done) {
         const server = IRCServer.create()