WebSocket vs SSE

Choose the right technology for your real-time needs.

Feature comparison
Feature WebSocket SSE
Direction Bi-directional (Client ↔ Server) Uni-directional (Server → Client)
Protocol WebSocket (ws://) HTTP/HTTPS
Reconnection Manual Automatic
Complexity Medium Low
Best for Chat, games, collaboration Notifications, logs, dashboards
Use WebSocket when:
  • →Client needs to send data frequently
  • →Building chat applications
  • →Real-time games or collaboration tools
  • →Need full-duplex communication
Use SSE when:
  • →Only server pushes data to client
  • →Building notification systems
  • →Live dashboards and metrics
  • →Want automatic reconnection
Ready-to-use examples

A dedicated repository contains practical examples demonstrating both WebSocket and SSE implementations, including real-time notifications and chat systems.

View realtime examples on GitHub →
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