Server-Sent Events
Server-Sent Events (SSE) is a web technology that enables servers to push real-time updates to clients over a single, long-lived HTTP connection. It uses a simple text-based format to stream data from server to client, allowing for efficient one-way communication without the overhead of polling. SSE is commonly used for live notifications, stock tickers, or any scenario where the server needs to send updates to the client.
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. It is particularly useful in scenarios where you need to avoid the complexity of bidirectional communication or when working with HTTP/1.1 or HTTP/2 without requiring additional protocols. SSE is supported natively in modern browsers and integrates well with existing web technologies like JavaScript and EventSource API.