Cloud Messaging vs WebSocket

Developers should learn Cloud Messaging when building applications that require real-time notifications, such as mobile apps for news alerts, chat applications, or IoT devices sending status updates meets developers should use websocket when building applications that require real-time features, such as live chat, collaborative editing, online gaming, financial tickers, or live sports updates, as it reduces latency and server load compared to polling techniques like http long-polling. Here's our take.

Cloud Messaging

Nice Pick

Developers should learn Cloud Messaging when building applications that require real-time notifications, such as mobile apps for news alerts, chat applications, or IoT devices sending status updates

Pros

• It is essential for enhancing user engagement by delivering timely information without requiring users to manually refresh the app, and it helps in scenarios like sending transactional emails, marketing campaigns, or system alerts in enterprise software
• Related to: firebase-cloud-messaging, amazon-sns

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

WebSocket

Developers should use WebSocket when building applications that require real-time features, such as live chat, collaborative editing, online gaming, financial tickers, 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 multiple clients and a server is critical, such as in dashboards, notifications, or IoT device monitoring, enabling efficient and scalable real-time communication
• Related to: http, real-time-communication

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Cloud Messaging is a platform while WebSocket is a protocol. We picked Cloud Messaging based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Cloud Messaging wins

Based on overall popularity. Cloud Messaging is more widely used, but WebSocket excels in its own space.