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WebSocket ✓

What is WebSocket?​

WebSocket is a communication protocol that enables full-duplex communication between a client and a server over a single, long-lived connection. It provides a way for web applications to establish a persistent connection and exchange data in real-time.

WebSocket Diagram

How Protocol Switching Works?​

Pro-tip: The browser uses TCP to initialize and then switches the protocol to WebSocket after receiving a response from the server, a process known as Protocol Switching.

  1. Initiation:

    • The client initiates the process by sending an HTTP GET request to the server.
    • This request includes specific headers indicating the desired protocol upgrade:
      • Connection: Upgrade
      • Upgrade: websocket
      • Sec-WebSocket-Key: A randomly generated key for the handshake
      • Other optional headers for protocol negotiation and extensions

  2. Server Response:

    • The server responds with an HTTP 101 Switching Protocols status code, confirming the protocol upgrade.
    • It includes the following headers:
    • Connection: Upgrade
    • Upgrade: websocket
    • Sec-WebSocket-Accept: A calculated response to the client's Sec-WebSocket-Key Other optional headers for protocol negotiation and extensions

  3. WebSocket Connection Established:

    • Once the handshake is complete, the connection is upgraded to a WebSocket, and data can be exchanged bidirectionally between the client and server.

Key Points​

  • Efficiency: Protocol switching avoids the overhead of multiple HTTP requests, making WebSocket ideal for real-time applications.
  • Security: WebSocket can be secured using HTTPS (wss://), providing encrypted communication.
  • Flexibility: The WebSocket protocol supports various data formats, including text and binary.
  • Cross-Platform: WebSocket is supported by most modern web browsers and many other platforms.

Common Use Cases​

WebSocket is widely used in applications that require real-time updates, such as:

  • Real-time gaming
  • Stock market tickers (trading)
  • IoT (Internet of Things) applications

In summary, browser protocol switching in WebSocket connectivity is a fundamental mechanism that enables efficient and real-time communication between clients and servers.

Checkout the Github Repo to see a simple client and server implementation.

Sample Code​

Github Repo (>‿◠)