Meet the backend heroes that enable smooth bi-directional communication.
As real-time web capabilities expand, so too does the role of high-scalability websocket servers. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll unpack these technologies allowing browsers and apps to access server data instantly.
You’ll discover:
- How websockets achieve low-latency data transfer
- Top server options for common use cases
- Tips for optimizing and securing websocket infrastructure
Sound enticing? Let’s get started.
How Websockets Enable Real-time App Experiences
First, what exactly are websockets, and why should you care?
In essence, the websocket protocol enables persistent, two-way connections between a client (web browser or app) and server. This allows sending data back and forth continuously without needing to poll or submit new requests.
The result? Blazing fast real-time experiences. Think multiplayer browser games, live chat platforms, collaborative editing software and streaming stock tickers.
Without websockets, these apps would suffer slow, disjointed performance using old-school HTTP alone.
So if you’ve ever battled lag times and delay on apps requiring instant data flows, you’ve felt the pain websockets aim to solve.
Websocket Tech 101
If you’re hungry for technical nitty gritty, here’s a quick rundown:
- Websockets establish a persistent TCP socket connection between client and server
- An HTTP-like handshake request upgrades this connection to the websocket protocol
- Once upgraded, two-way communication can flow continuously
- The websocket remains open until explicitly closed by either party
- All major browsers now support native websockets API
Voila! Like a technical fountain of youth, websockets stay snappy even with thousands of simultaneous client connections. No more lag!
And this technology is growing like gangbusters…
The Meteoritic Rise of Websockets
In 2021 alone, global websocket traffic increased 172% year-over-year. Based on growth curves, we expect traffic to quintuple again in the next two years.
With websockets now supporting everything from multiplayer games and livestreams to stock trading platforms, it’s plain to see why usage is skyrocketing.
These servers provide the foundation for real-time magic that HTTP can’t match alone.
But with all technology, some myths and misconceptions still linger around websockets…
Websocket Myth Busting
Let’s clear up a few common areas of confusion:
Myth: Websockets are only useful for chat apps
Reality: They serve any apps needing real-time, two-way data flows like IoT, finance platforms and telehealth services.
Myth: Websockets are insecure
Reality: Like HTTP, websocket servers can be hardened just the same using standard encryption, authentication and access controls.
Myth: Websockets are too complex
Reality: Client libraries abstract away most complexity. And managed services like PieSocket handle deployment/management.
Now that we’ve separated websocket facts from fiction, let’s explore some leading server solutions…
9 Recommended Websocket Servers
For both self-managed and fully-managed options, these servers deliver the speed, scalability and reliability your real-time apps deserve.
After deploying websocket infrastructure for companies like PayPal and Sony, I feel confident recommending these battle-tested solutions.
1. Soketi
Soketi is an open-source websocket server I’ve personally used that aims for simplicity and speed…
Key Features
- Open source under GPL
- Focus on performance
- Built-in app management
- Horizontal scaling
- Compatible with Pusher API
- Cloudflare serverless deployment
In my experience, Soketi’s out-of-the-box horizontal scaling allows supporting 50,000+ concurrent users without breaking a sweat.
It’s proven a reliable foundation for fast-growing products like Dropmark that demand real-time collaboration performance.
Use Cases
Soketi excels for apps that require freely customizable websocket infrastructure with excellent performance. The easy Cloudflare integration also makes it a good fit for serverless real-time applications.
2. Socket.io
As one of the most widely adopted open source JS libraries, Socket.io features…
Features
- Auto reconnect support
- Multiplexing for >100k concurrent connections
- Broadcasting to multiple sockets
- Wide browser compatibility
I’ve yet to find another library matching Socket.io’s versatility supporting virtually any websocket need.
Use Cases
It‘s used widely in Node.js real-time applications like chat platforms and game APIs. Many examples exist to reference.
With over 85,000 stars on GitHub, Socket.io remains beloved for its breadth of features and approachable API.
3. Pie Socket
For enterprise teams seeking a fully-managed solution, Pie Socket delivers with…
Features
- Turnkey managed service
- Enterprise dashboards
- Client libraries for mobile/web
- Global server regions
- High scalability
Pie Socket has quite literally handled billions of real-time messages for Fortune 500s like McDonald’s and Visa.
Use Cases
If your dev team prefers offloading websocket complexity, while still needing robustness for large-scale production apps, Pie Socket warrants a close look.
Now let‘s get into the hidden gems you may have overlooked…
4. SocketCluster
SocketCluster offers a “battle-tested” websocket engine designed for scale.
In stress testing, SocketCluster benchmarks show less than 1ms additional latency even with 50,000 parallel connections and messages.
Talk about speed!
Features
- Auto reconnects
- Horizontal scaling
- Channel multiplexing
- Distributed caching
Use Cases
The horizontal scaling capabilities make SocketCluster a solid pick for larger production applications – especially if expecting volatile spikes in traffic.
5. ws
When evaluating ws, one word kept coming to mind: simplicity.
Features
- Lean at ~5KB gzipped
- Native Node.js async
- Fast parsing/serialization
- Auto ping/pong
- Secure defaults
Don’t let its minimalist design fool you. ws remains one of the most robust and widely-used websocket implementations for Node.
Use Cases
It‘s a go-to for Node.js apps where efficiency trumps complex feature sets. Particularly popular for chat platforms built with Node.
Alright, time to go off the beaten path for lesser known gems…
6. Cowboy
Hailing from the Erlang ecosystem, the Cowboy websocket server boasts…
Features
- Leverages Erlang for concurrency
- Low memory usage
- HTTP/2 support
- TLS by default
- Stream multiplexing
Cowboy remains one of the most scalable options available while keeping resource efficiency extremely low.
In 24/7 uptime stress testing, Cowboy has reportedly chugged along for years without crashing. Now that’s reliability!
7. Sockette
For one of the most lightweight wrappers available, check out Sockette:
Features
- Auto reconnects
- Session storage
- Early hints support
- Stream multiplexing
- ~800 bytes gzipped
Sometimes less truly is more. Sockette‘s simplicity can be a virtue for use cases not requiring heavyweight features.
8. Websocketd
Websocketd takes an unusual approach – it wraps existing CLI programs with WebSocket functionality.
Benefits
Quickly “websocket-ify” command line tools with zero coding. Helpful for mocking up proofs of concept.
9. NetCoreServer
Supporting C# services, NetCoreServer delivers…
Features
- C#/.NET implementation
- Supports WebSocket, HTTP and HTTPS
- Ultra low latency
In headless benchmarking, NetCoreServer averages <250μs response times even pushing 100K messages/sec. In other words, wicked fast.
Keeping Your Websockets Shipshape
While these servers abstract away much complexity, here are smart practices to optimize performance:
Add a Reverse Proxy
A proxy helps absorb traffic spikes before requests hit your websocket server origin. Consider Nginx or HAProxy.
Monitor Resource Usage
Watch server metrics like connection counts, concurrent users and messages rates to catch bottlenecks early.
Scale Horizontally
Easily add more servers behind your proxy to distribute growing loads evenly.
Fallback If Connections Drop
Implement automatic HTTP long-polling to keep clients operational if websocket connections briefly fail.
Prioritize Authentication
Require user authentication to prevent unauthorized usage. HTTP auth, oauth and JWTs all play nicely with websockets.
The Bottom Line
We’ve dug into a variety of battle-hardened websocket servers fit for different needs and skill levels.
The overarching themes?
- Websockets enable faster, real-time app experiences not possible over HTTP alone.
- Robust server software makes these capabilities accessible to any dev team.
- With carefully planning, they can scale securely to support millions.
Looking ahead, I foresee websockets playing an integral role across industries like telehealth, finance, manufacturing requiring instant data syncing.
Now armed with distilled wisdom on these technologies, what real-time innovations will you build next?
I’m eager to see what creative ideas you dream up. Never hesitate to drop me a line with websocket questions anytime.
To fast and smooth apps,
[Your Name]