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WebSocket is a two-way communication protocol that utilizes a single TCP connection to send/receive data.
Technically, WebSocket provides full-duplex communication between the server and the client, which allows real-time data transfer.
For starters, it is similar to HTTP but with more benefits and a different use case.
But, it is helpful to know more about WebSocket if you are a developer.
WebSocket vs. HTTP
Before exploring WebSocket, it is vital to learn its differences from HTTP.
How Does a WebSocket Server Work?
A WebSocket server listens to a port of a TCP server.
The server is involved with making connections.
How Does a WebSocket Server Connection Work?
Now that you know the WebSocket protocol and its server, how does it all work?
To initiate a WebSocket connection, anHTTPconnection is required.
HTTPstarts the magic, even if it is not the hero in this story.
Why Are WebSockets Preferred for Real-time Connections?
WebSockets came into being because of the limitations of HTTP.
HTTP connections are unidirectional, i.e., you must wait for a request to complete before another start.
There is a workaround for this calledlong-polling, but it makes the HTTP request with a long time-out period.
The server uses the long timeout to wait and push the data without a new HTTP request.
However, this ties up the server resources even when no data transfer occurs.
Real-time connections cannot afford the wait time.
The data needs to flow continuously from the server to suffice the clients requirements.
WebSockets provide a full-duplex connection that stays alive until the server/client drops the connection.
So, you get reliability and two-way communication that allowsbuilding real-time applications.
It aims to be a fast WebSocket server compatible withPusherwhile offering built-in app management.
It also provides aserverlessWebSocket offering that can be deployed to Cloudflare workers.
When writing this, it was in the open beta stage.
Unfortunately, it does not offer any on-premise or managed solution.
Furthermore, it is compatible withDeno, a modern runtime for JavaScript and TypeScript built in Rust.
An incredibly popular WebSocket server that you could use for free on your server.
you could follow theofficial documentationto learn more, as it does not offer an on-premise deployment service.
Pie Socket is a premium offering, with companies like RedHat and Akamai using some services.
It also offers WebSocket API for mobile, desktop, andIoT devices.
Pie Socket provides a 14-day trial (without a credit card) to let you test it out.
SocketCluster
Socket Clusteris an interesting toolkit that can also be deployed to Kubernetes.
It supports JWTauthentication, lets you monitor and throttle data streams, and helps avoid memory leaks.
SocketCluster also mentions that the message order will not be disrupted and can be deployed and scaled easily.
ws
wsis a Node.js WebSocket library that is simple to use and has a fast client/server implementation.
It is an incredibly popular WebSocket client and server for Node.js applications that support many features.
Yet another free and open-source project that you’ve got the option to use as per your requirements.
Cowboy
Cowboyis a simple, fast HTTP server with WebSocket support, built with Erlang code.
Just because it uses Erlang, it is inherently valuable for building real-time applications requiring high availability.
For instance, one can try using it for banking and e-commerce systems.
Sockette
Socketteis a lightweight wrapper around WebSocket that lets you automatically reconnect if the connection is lost.
Unfortunately, the project is no longer actively maintained.
However, it’s possible for you to try it out for your use case.
It should be helpful to build WebSocket-capable applications easily.
Similar to the previous project, it is no longer actively developed.
However, it’s possible for you to try it out for your use cases.
Explore itsGitHub pageto find out more.
you’re able to explore itsGitHub pageand documentation to learn more.
Millions of users interact with services that utilize the WebSocket protocol underneath.
That being said, you should only pick the best WebSocket server per your requirement.
Choose the one that gives the maximum reliability your project deserves.
