Daphne
Daphne is an HTTP, HTTP2, and WebSocket protocol server for ASGI (Asynchronous Server Gateway Interface), designed to run behind a reverse proxy like Nginx. It serves as the interface server for Django Channels, enabling real-time features such as WebSockets and long-polling HTTP connections in Django applications. Daphne handles the low-level protocol details, allowing developers to focus on building asynchronous application logic.
Developers should use Daphne when building Django applications that require real-time capabilities like chat applications, live notifications, or collaborative editing tools, as it integrates seamlessly with Django Channels. It is essential for deploying Django projects with WebSocket support in production environments, replacing traditional WSGI servers like Gunicorn or uWSGI for asynchronous workloads.