Radar vs Socket.IO vs SocketCluster

Overview

Socket.IO

Stacks13.6K

Followers11.0K

Votes776

Radar

Stacks3

Followers17

Votes0

GitHub Stars220

Forks43

SocketCluster

Stacks47

Followers168

Votes47

GitHub Stars6.2K

Forks322

Radar vs Socket.IO vs SocketCluster: What are the differences?

Introduction:

Key differences between Radar, Socket.IO, and SocketCluster are discussed below.

Architecture: Radar is built on a real-time data framework that focuses on simplicity and efficiency, whereas Socket.IO is a WebSocket library that aims for compatibility and reliability. SocketCluster uses a combination of WebSocket and HTTP for real-time communication along with built-in scalability features like horizontal scaling with multiple nodes.
Scalability: Radar does not have built-in support for horizontal scaling across multiple nodes, which can limit its scalability in larger applications. Socket.IO offers basic horizontal scaling using a Redis adapter, while SocketCluster provides sophisticated built-in scaling mechanisms like automatic load balancing across multiple CPU cores and distributed load balancing across multiple nodes.
Error Handling: Radar provides basic error handling capabilities but lacks advanced features like automatic reconnection and latency detection. Socket.IO offers robust error-handling mechanisms and automatic reconnection logic, making it more resilient to network disruptions. SocketCluster goes a step further by providing detailed error messages and diagnostics to help developers troubleshoot issues effectively.
Multi-Language Support: Radar primarily focuses on JavaScript for both server-side and client-side development, limiting its appeal to polyglot developers. Socket.IO supports multiple languages like JavaScript, Python, and Java, making it versatile for cross-platform development. SocketCluster also emphasizes multi-language support, enabling developers to use a wide range of programming languages for building real-time applications.
Data Exchange Formats: Radar uses JSON as its primary data exchange format, offering simplicity and ease of use for developers. Socket.IO also relies on JSON but allows developers to customize serialization to suit their specific needs. SocketCluster supports various data exchange formats like JSON, MessagePack, and Protocol Buffers, providing flexibility and efficiency in data serialization and deserialization.
Community and Ecosystem: Radar has a smaller community compared to Socket.IO and SocketCluster, which limits the availability of resources, plugins, and community support. Socket.IO has a large and active community that provides ample resources, plugins, and community-driven extensions. SocketCluster also has a growing community and ecosystem, offering a range of plugins and extensions to enhance real-time communication capabilities.

In Summary, Radar, Socket.IO, and SocketCluster differ in architecture, scalability, error handling, multi-language support, data exchange formats, and community ecosystem.

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Advice on Socket.IO, Radar, SocketCluster

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	Radar	SocketCluster
It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.	Radar is built on top of engine.io, the next-generation backend for socket.io. It uses Redis for backend storage, though the assumption is that this is only for storing currently active data.	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.
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.	More than just pub/sub: a resource-based API for presence, messaging and push notifications via a Javascript client library;Written in Javascript/Node.js, and uses engine.io (the new, low-level complement to socket.io);Backend to multiple front-facing servers;REST API for working with web apps that don't use Node (presently, rework in progress)	Resilient on both the client and backend - Process crashes, lost connections and other failures are handled seamlessly.;Scales linearly as you add more CPU cores and workers (assuming a decent OS) - Tested with up to 16 cores.;Also designed to scale horizontally across multiple machines. See sc-redis sample.
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 220	GitHub Stars 6.2K
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 43	GitHub Forks 322
Stacks 13.6K	Stacks 3	Stacks 47
Followers 11.0K	Followers 17	Followers 168
Votes 776	Votes 0	Votes 47
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	No community feedback yet	Pros 12 Cluster mode is awesome 8 WebSockets 7 Scalability 4 Security 4 Real-time
Integrations
Auth0 Gatsby Flutter React Backbone.js Cloud Firestore Outbrain	No integrations available	Node.js

What are some alternatives to Socket.IO, Radar, SocketCluster?

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.

Ably

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.

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.

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.

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