Overview

Socket.IO

Stacks13.6K

Followers11.0K

Votes776

Ably

Stacks63

Followers98

Votes96

GitHub Stars351

Forks63

Socket.IO vs ably: What are the differences?

Introduction Socket.IO and Ably are two popular real-time messaging platforms used for building real-time applications. While both platforms serve the same purpose, there are several key differences that set them apart.

Scalability: One major difference between Socket.IO and Ably is their approach to scalability. Socket.IO relies on a single-threaded event loop model, where the server can only handle a limited number of connections at a time. Ably, on the other hand, utilizes a distributed architecture with a globally distributed network of data centers, allowing for effortless scalability and handling massive amounts of concurrent connections.
Reliability: Another significant difference is in terms of reliability. Socket.IO relies on various transport protocols and falls back to different mechanisms in case of connectivity issues. However, it is prone to connection problems and unreliable in certain situations. Ably, on the other hand, provides built-in reliability features like automatic reconnection, message recovery, and fallback mechanisms, ensuring that messages are delivered reliably even in unpredictable network conditions.
API Design: Socket.IO and Ably have distinctive API designs. Socket.IO provides a simple and straightforward API with a focus on simplicity and ease of use. It offers several options and configurations to customize the behavior of real-time communication. Ably, on the other hand, has a well-defined API design with a comprehensive set of features and capabilities. It offers advanced features like presence management, history, and channels, making it suitable for complex real-time applications.
Usage Patterns: Socket.IO is commonly used for building real-time chat applications, gaming applications, and collaborative tools. It is well-suited for scenarios where simplicity and ease of use are of utmost importance. Ably, on the other hand, is designed to handle real-time data at scale and is suitable for applications that require high reliability, multi-region presence, and guaranteed message delivery.
Ecosystem and Integrations: Socket.IO has a larger developer ecosystem and a vibrant community of contributors. It has extensive client-side support and is compatible with a wide range of programming languages and frameworks. Ably, although smaller in terms of community size, offers robust integrations with popular frameworks and platforms like React, Node.js, Python, etc. It also provides additional features like event tracking and analytics.
Pricing Model: Socket.IO offers a free open source version that can be self-hosted and works well for smaller projects. However, for larger projects or enterprise-level usage, Socket.IO provides commercial licensing options with additional features and support. Ably, on the other hand, offers a comprehensive pricing model that scales based on usage, providing flexibility and cost-efficiency for both small and large-scale projects.

In Summary, Socket.IO and Ably differ in terms of scalability, reliability, API design, usage patterns, ecosystem, and pricing model, offering developers various options based on their specific requirements.

🔥 Trending in Platform as a Service on StackShare

WordPress Platform As A Service

A semantic personal publishing platform with a focus on aesthetics, web standards, and usability.

Try it View Docs Alternatives

Try

42

41.4k

Advice on Socket.IO, Ably

Noam

Jul 16, 2020

Needs adviceon

Node.js

ExpressJS

React

We are starting to work on a web-based platform aiming to connect artists (clients) and professional freelancers (service providers). In-app, timeline-based, real-time communication between users (& storing it), file transfers, and push notifications are essential core features. We are considering using Node.js, ExpressJS, React, MongoDB stack with Socket.IO & Apollo, or maybe using Real-Time Database and functionalities of Firebase.

1.15M views1.15M

Comments

Anil

Mar 7, 2020

Needs advice

I want to add uWebSockets.js in my application for real-time chatting, for that, I have to draw a UML and ufd diagram flow then I have to implement it in my code, my stack is node js, android, express, MongoDB, Redis. how can I do this? I want to add uWebSockets.js in my application for real-time chatting, for that, I have to draw a UML and ufd diagram flow then I have to implement it in my code, my stack is node js, android, express, MongoDB, Redis. how can I do this?I want to add uWebSockets.js in my application for real-time chatting, for that, I have to draw a UML and ufd diagram flow then I have to implement it in my code, my stack is node js, android, express, MongoDB, Redis. how can I do this?i want to add uWebSockets.js in my application for real time chatting, for that i have to draw a uml and ufd diagram flow then i have to implement it in my code , my stack is node js , android , express , mongoDb, redis . how can i do a this?

46.7k views46.7k

Comments

Detailed Comparison

Socket.IO	Ably
It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.	Ably offers WebSockets, stream resume, history, presence, and managed third-party integrations to make it simple to build, extend, and deliver digital realtime experiences at scale.
Real-time analytics - Push data to clients that gets represented as real-time counters, charts or logs.;Binary streaming - Starting in 1.0, it's possible to send any blob back and forth: image, audio, video.;Instant messaging and chat - Socket.IO's "Hello world" is a chat app in just a few lines of code.;Document collaboration - Allow users to concurrently edit a document and see each other's changes.	Pub/Sub Channels API: built-in user presence, message history, token auth, guaranteed message ordering, stream continuity; Protocol Adapters API: stream data over open protocols like WebSockets, MQTT, SSE, and more; Reactor API: link your other systems to Ably so you can use your existing compute to queue and consume high volumes of realtime messages in bulk, transform or filter messages by executing functions on them, or pass messages on to other systems for onward processing; A unified API to provide native push notifications using APNS and GCM; Data Stream Network: Ably's cloud network of 16+ datacenters and 175+ PoPs.
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 351
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 63
Stacks 13.6K	Stacks 63
Followers 11.0K	Followers 98
Votes 776	Votes 96
Pros & Cons
Pros 219 Real-time 143 Node.js 141 Event-based communication 102 WebSockets 102 Open source Cons 12 Bad documentation 4 Githubs that complement it are mostly deprecated 3 Doesn't work on React Native 2 Small community 2 Websocket Errors	Pros 10 WebSockets 9 Highly reliable 8 SSE 8 Great technical support 8 Massive scalability
Integrations
Auth0 Gatsby Flutter React Backbone.js Cloud Firestore Outbrain	PHP Java Objective-C React Native Swift Unity Ruby Node.js JavaScript .NET

What are some alternatives to Socket.IO, Ably?

Firebase

Firebase is a cloud service designed to power real-time, collaborative applications. Simply add the Firebase library to your application to gain access to a shared data structure; any changes you make to that data are automatically synchronized with the Firebase cloud and with other clients within milliseconds.

PubNub

PubNub makes it easy for you to add real-time capabilities to your apps, without worrying about the infrastructure. Build apps that allow your users to engage in real-time across mobile, browser, desktop and server.

Pusher

Pusher is the category leader in delightful APIs for app developers building communication and collaboration features.

SignalR

SignalR allows bi-directional communication between server and client. Servers can now push content to connected clients instantly as it becomes available. SignalR supports Web Sockets, and falls back to other compatible techniques for older browsers. SignalR includes APIs for connection management (for instance, connect and disconnect events), grouping connections, and authorization.

Syncano

Syncano is a backend platform to build powerful real-time apps more efficiently. Integrate with any API, minimize boilerplate code and control your data - all from one place.

NATS

Unlike traditional enterprise messaging systems, NATS has an always-on dial tone that does whatever it takes to remain available. This forms a great base for building modern, reliable, and scalable cloud and distributed systems.

SocketCluster

SocketCluster is a fast, highly scalable HTTP + realtime server engine which lets you build multi-process realtime servers that make use of all CPU cores on a machine/instance. It removes the limitations of having to run your Node.js server as a single thread and makes your backend resilient by automatically recovering from worker crashes and aggregating errors into a central log.

deepstream.io

Scalable Server for Realtime Web Apps with JSON structures that can be read, manipulated and listened to, messages that can be sent to one or more subscribers, and request response workflows, between two clients or servers.

8base

A cloud service designed to power enterprise-grade web and mobile applications that require support for large numbers of users, complex data and transactional requirements, comprehensive role-based security and a modern look-and-feel.

Supabase

Supabase is currently in early-Alpha .It is an open-source Firebase alternative. It adds realtime and RESTful APIs to your PostgreSQL database without a single line of code.