What are WebSockets and How Does It Work?

The web socket protocol enables a continuous flow of data transmission from both directions till the connection is alive. These qualities in web sockets make them popular among people, especially proxy users. Some may say that web sockets are the future of telecommunication, and HTTP is almost dead.

Another technique for sending messages is the Server-Sent Events API, which allows the server to push updates to the client by leveraging the JavaScript EventSource interface. When short polling is used, requests are processed as they come on the server. It creates much traffic (uses resources, but frees them as soon as a response is sent back). In comparison to short polling, long polling sends requests to server and client is waiting for the response to come until timeout. So the traffic is smaller, but resources are blocked for some time.

Differences Between HTTP and WebSocket Connection

This article aims to present the advantages and benefits WebSocket brings to the table, as well as its disadvantages and limitations. It is the interface that allows other systems to interact with the application. The application can expose as much as it wants and keep its remaining parts abstracted.

• A server can open WebSocket connections with multiple clients—even multiple connections with the same client.
• SSEs are sent via the normal HTTP protocol, and browser clients will have to register to the event source via the JavaScript API EventSource.
• If you compare the performance of 10 HTTP requests to 10 WebSockets requests, the difference is barely noticeable.
• The server is unable to send data to the client unless the client requests it first.
• As we saw earlier REST is an architectural style which leverages HTTP for communication.

Elixir’s Phoenix framework also makes websockets very easy with its built-in “Channels” implementation. This is a simple implementation, but if you collect the user’s name you can broadcast them to your connected instances instead of just a number. Instead what is websocket used for of using a number array, you’ll be able to use an array of each name. That is similar to how we display active table users with Easybase. Let’s take advantage of the different rooms in that object when we need to relay a message to everyone.

WebSockets for fun and profit

There are definitely tradeoffs to traditional HTTP requests, so be sure to use the points highlighted above to help decided whether or not it’s best for your next project. This technology has become quite popular over the last decade, with typical use cases including social feeds, multiplayer games, collaborative editing, chat applications, and more. In fact, WebSockets are deeply integrated into many of the websites and applications you probably use every day. The protocol’s strengths proved to be very beneficial for all types of functional web and mobile apps (more on that later).

Without having to rely on plug-ins (I’m looking at you, Flash) Web developers are now able to implement and experiment with high-performance gaming in the browser. Whether you’re dealing with DOM elements, CSS animations, HTML5 canvas or you’re experimenting with WebGL, efficient interaction between players is crucial. I don’t want to discover my opponent has moved after I pull the trigger.