HTTP Requests vs WebSockets

Developers should learn HTTP requests to build and consume web services, as they are essential for fetching data from APIs, submitting forms, and implementing CRUD operations in web and mobile apps 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.

HTTP Requests

Nice Pick

Developers should learn HTTP requests to build and consume web services, as they are essential for fetching data from APIs, submitting forms, and implementing CRUD operations in web and mobile apps

Pros

• Mastery is crucial for working with RESTful APIs, handling authentication, and debugging network issues in modern software development
• Related to: rest-api, ajax

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. HTTP Requests is a concept while WebSockets is a protocol. We picked HTTP Requests based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

HTTP Requests wins

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