SignalR vs Socket.IO

Overview

Socket.IO

Stacks13.6K

Followers11.0K

Votes776

SignalR

Stacks656

Followers1.2K

Votes146

GitHub Stars9.3K

Forks2.3K

SignalR vs Socket.IO: What are the differences?

SignalR and Socket.IO are both real-time web communication frameworks that allow for bidirectional communication between a server and a client. Let's explore the key differences between them.

Transport protocols: SignalR primarily uses WebSockets as its default transport protocol, with fallback options to other protocols such as Server-Sent Events and Long Polling. On the other hand, Socket.IO supports a wider range of transport protocols such as WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, Long Polling, and Flash Sockets, providing more flexibility in adapting to different network environments.
Platforms and languages: SignalR is specifically designed for Microsoft technologies like ASP.NET and .NET Core, making it an ideal choice for developers using these platforms. In contrast, Socket.IO is a language-agnostic framework that can be used with a variety of languages including JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and Go, allowing for more platform independence.
Scalability: SignalR relies on a centralized server architecture where all the communications go through a centralized server. While it can handle a large number of concurrent connections, the scalability of SignalR is limited by the capabilities of the server. Socket.IO, on the other hand, implements a distributed Pub-Sub pattern and can scale horizontally across multiple servers, making it more suitable for highly scalable applications.
Error handling: SignalR provides features for automatic reconnection and handling of connection failures, making it easier for developers to handle network disruptions. Socket.IO also provides similar error-handling capabilities, but it additionally supports automatic reconnection with back-off, providing more robustness in dealing with unstable network connections.
API and features: SignalR provides a rich set of features out of the box, such as hubs for easily defining server-to-client communication and client-to-server invocation, strong type safety, and automatic serialization of complex objects. Socket.IO, on the other hand, offers a more minimalistic API, providing only the essential building blocks for real-time communication and leaving more room for customization and flexibility.
Community and ecosystem: SignalR is primarily supported by Microsoft and has a large community of ASP.NET developers, providing a wealth of resources, libraries, and frameworks specifically tailored for SignalR. Socket.IO, although not officially backed by any specific company, has a vibrant open-source community with a wide range of plugins, integrations, and community-contributed modules that extend its functionality.

In summary, SignalR, developed by Microsoft, is tightly integrated with the .NET framework and primarily used in .NET-based applications, providing seamless support for real-time communication through websockets, long polling, and other transport mechanisms. Socket.IO, on the other hand, is a JavaScript library that works across various platforms and programming languages, offering a more flexible and language-agnostic approach to real-time communication with features like fallback mechanisms for older browsers and seamless integration with Node.js ecosystems.

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Advice on Socket.IO, SignalR

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	SignalR
It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.	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.
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.	-
Statistics
GitHub Stars -	GitHub Stars 9.3K
GitHub Forks -	GitHub Forks 2.3K
Stacks 13.6K	Stacks 656
Followers 11.0K	Followers 1.2K
Votes 776	Votes 146
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 Websocket Errors 2 Small community	Pros 32 Supports .NET server 25 Real-time 18 Free 16 Fallback to SSE, forever frame, long polling 15 WebSockets Cons 2 Requires jQuery 2 Expertise hard to get 1 Big differences between ASP.NET and Core versions 1 Weak iOS and Android support
Integrations
Auth0 Gatsby Flutter React Backbone.js Cloud Firestore Outbrain	.NET

What are some alternatives to Socket.IO, SignalR?

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.

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.

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.

Related Comparisons

SignalR vs Socket.IO: What are the differences?

SignalR and Socket.IO are both real-time web communication frameworks that allow for bidirectional communication between a server and a client. Let's explore the key differences between them.

Transport protocols: SignalR primarily uses WebSockets as its default transport protocol, with fallback options to other protocols such as Server-Sent Events and Long Polling. On the other hand, Socket.IO supports a wider range of transport protocols such as WebSockets, Server-Sent Events, Long Polling, and Flash Sockets, providing more flexibility in adapting to different network environments.
Platforms and languages: SignalR is specifically designed for Microsoft technologies like ASP.NET and .NET Core, making it an ideal choice for developers using these platforms. In contrast, Socket.IO is a language-agnostic framework that can be used with a variety of languages including JavaScript, Python, Ruby, and Go, allowing for more platform independence.
Scalability: SignalR relies on a centralized server architecture where all the communications go through a centralized server. While it can handle a large number of concurrent connections, the scalability of SignalR is limited by the capabilities of the server. Socket.IO, on the other hand, implements a distributed Pub-Sub pattern and can scale horizontally across multiple servers, making it more suitable for highly scalable applications.
Error handling: SignalR provides features for automatic reconnection and handling of connection failures, making it easier for developers to handle network disruptions. Socket.IO also provides similar error-handling capabilities, but it additionally supports automatic reconnection with back-off, providing more robustness in dealing with unstable network connections.
API and features: SignalR provides a rich set of features out of the box, such as hubs for easily defining server-to-client communication and client-to-server invocation, strong type safety, and automatic serialization of complex objects. Socket.IO, on the other hand, offers a more minimalistic API, providing only the essential building blocks for real-time communication and leaving more room for customization and flexibility.
Community and ecosystem: SignalR is primarily supported by Microsoft and has a large community of ASP.NET developers, providing a wealth of resources, libraries, and frameworks specifically tailored for SignalR. Socket.IO, although not officially backed by any specific company, has a vibrant open-source community with a wide range of plugins, integrations, and community-contributed modules that extend its functionality.

SignalR vs Socket.IO

Overview