Ajax vs WebSockets

Developers should learn Ajax to build responsive, modern web applications that provide seamless user interactions, such as live search suggestions, form validation, and real-time content updates meets developers should learn and use websockets when building applications that require real-time features, such as live chat, online gaming, financial trading platforms, collaborative editing tools, or live sports updates, as it reduces latency and server load compared to polling techniques like http long-polling. Here's our take.

Ajax

Nice Pick

Developers should learn Ajax to build responsive, modern web applications that provide seamless user interactions, such as live search suggestions, form validation, and real-time content updates

Pros

• It is essential for creating single-page applications (SPAs) and improving performance by reducing server load and bandwidth usage, as only necessary data is exchanged rather than entire pages
• Related to: javascript, xmlhttprequest

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

WebSockets

Developers should learn and use WebSockets when building applications that require real-time features, such as live chat, online gaming, financial trading platforms, collaborative editing tools, or live sports updates, as it reduces latency and server load compared to polling techniques like HTTP long-polling

Pros

• It is particularly valuable in scenarios where instant data synchronization between clients and servers is critical, such as in IoT device monitoring or interactive dashboards, because it maintains an open connection for continuous data flow
• Related to: http, real-time-communication

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Ajax is a concept while WebSockets is a protocol. We picked Ajax based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Ajax wins

Based on overall popularity. Ajax is more widely used, but WebSockets excels in its own space.