Traditional HTTP Streaming vs WebSockets
Developers should learn Traditional HTTP Streaming for legacy system maintenance, scenarios requiring simple real-time updates without bidirectional communication, or when working with older infrastructure that doesn't support WebSockets 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.
Traditional HTTP Streaming
Developers should learn Traditional HTTP Streaming for legacy system maintenance, scenarios requiring simple real-time updates without bidirectional communication, or when working with older infrastructure that doesn't support WebSockets
Traditional HTTP Streaming
Nice PickDevelopers should learn Traditional HTTP Streaming for legacy system maintenance, scenarios requiring simple real-time updates without bidirectional communication, or when working with older infrastructure that doesn't support WebSockets
Pros
- +It's useful in applications like live news feeds, monitoring dashboards, or progressive file downloads where low-latency data push is needed but full-duplex capabilities aren't required, offering a lightweight alternative to polling
- +Related to: http-protocol, server-sent-events
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. Traditional HTTP Streaming is a concept while WebSockets is a protocol. We picked Traditional HTTP Streaming based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.
Based on overall popularity. Traditional HTTP Streaming is more widely used, but WebSockets excels in its own space.
Disagree with our pick? nice@nicepick.dev