Push API vs Polling

Developers should learn the Push API when building progressive web apps (PWAs) or any web application that requires real-time notifications to enhance user engagement and retention meets developers should use polling when building applications that need to monitor state changes, fetch updates from apis without websocket support, or in embedded systems where hardware constraints limit push-based methods. Here's our take.

Push API

Nice Pick

Developers should learn the Push API when building progressive web apps (PWAs) or any web application that requires real-time notifications to enhance user engagement and retention

Pros

• It is particularly useful for news sites, social media platforms, e-commerce apps, and messaging services where timely updates are critical
• Related to: service-workers, progressive-web-apps

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

Polling

Developers should use polling when building applications that need to monitor state changes, fetch updates from APIs without WebSocket support, or in embedded systems where hardware constraints limit push-based methods

Pros

• It is particularly useful for simple monitoring tasks, such as checking for new messages in a chat app, tracking file upload progress, or querying sensor data in IoT devices, where low-frequency updates are acceptable and implementation simplicity is prioritized over efficiency
• Related to: long-polling, webhooks

Cons

• Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case

The Verdict

These tools serve different purposes. Push API is a platform while Polling is a concept. We picked Push API based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.

The Bottom Line

Push API wins

Based on overall popularity. Push API is more widely used, but Polling excels in its own space.