You might not need WebSockets

Websockets are powerful tools that have become a fan-favorite for building realtime applications, but you might be using them for all the wrong reasons. Let's explore the pitfalls of websockets and how we can use plain old HTTP to get the same job done. What’s a WebSocket? If you’re new to web development or you haven’t heard of a WebSocket before, they’re a way to open a two-way communication channel between the client and server using HTTP as the transport protocol. In less nerdy terms, it’s a way to keep an open line of communication between the client and server so that both can send and receive messages at any time. (MDN Reference) Because of how it’s advertised on the tin, it’s natural to think of a WebSocket as the best (and sometimes only) way to orchestrate a long-living stream of data between client and server, like for instance a real time application. In practice though, it turns out there are a few reasons why you might not want to use them: WebSocket messages aren’t t ... Read full article.