WebSockets vs Server-Sent Events
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 meets developers should learn sse when building applications that require real-time, server-to-client updates, such as live dashboards, chat applications, or news feeds, as it offers a lightweight and easy-to-implement alternative to websockets for one-way data flow. Here's our take.
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
WebSockets
Nice PickDevelopers 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
Server-Sent Events
Developers should learn SSE when building applications that require real-time, server-to-client updates, such as live dashboards, chat applications, or news feeds, as it offers a lightweight and easy-to-implement alternative to WebSockets for one-way data flow
Pros
- +It is particularly useful in scenarios where you need to avoid the complexity of bidirectional communication or when working with HTTP/1
- +Related to: websockets, http
Cons
- -Specific tradeoffs depend on your use case
The Verdict
These tools serve different purposes. WebSockets is a protocol while Server-Sent Events is a concept. We picked WebSockets based on overall popularity, but your choice depends on what you're building.
Based on overall popularity. WebSockets is more widely used, but Server-Sent Events excels in its own space.
Disagree with our pick? nice@nicepick.dev