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Socket.IO vs ws: What are the differences?

# Introduction

Socket.IO and ws are both libraries used for enabling real-time communication between a server and a client. While they serve the same purpose, there are some key differences between the two.

  1. Browser Compatibility: Socket.IO supports backward compatibility with older browsers, whereas ws does not provide built-in support for older browsers. Socket.IO achieves this by automatically selecting the best transport mechanism available, such as WebSockets, AJAX long polling, or Flash sockets, depending on the browser's capabilities. In contrast, ws focuses on native WebSockets implementation and may require alternative libraries or workarounds for older browsers.

  2. Implementation Complexity: Socket.IO is generally considered easier to implement due to its higher level of abstraction. It provides a simple and intuitive API for real-time communication, handles connection management, and abstracts away the underlying transport mechanisms. On the other hand, ws offers a lower-level WebSocket API, requiring more manual handling and management of WebSocket connections.

  3. Scalability: Socket.IO is designed with scalability in mind, offering features like built-in load balancing and automatic reconnection. It can handle large-scale deployments by leveraging multiple processes or servers, making it suitable for applications with high concurrent connections. ws, being a low-level library, does not provide such built-in scalability features and requires additional effort for load balancing and connection management in distributed environments.

  4. Customization: ws offers more customization options compared to Socket.IO. It provides fine-grained control over the WebSocket connection, allowing developers to optimize performance or implement specific protocols. Socket.IO, on the other hand, focuses on simplicity and ease of use, providing fewer customization options out of the box.

  5. Size and Performance: Socket.IO is generally larger in size due to its additional functionality and compatibility layers for older browsers. Consequently, ws is often considered to have better performance, as it is a leaner library with a narrower focus on WebSockets. If maximum performance with WebSockets is a critical requirement, ws may be a better choice.

  6. Community and Ecosystem: Socket.IO has a larger and more mature community compared to ws. It has been widely adopted and is supported by a variety of plugins, extensions, and integration tools. It also benefits from continuous development and maintenance. While ws has its own community, it may have a smaller ecosystem of third-party tools and plugins.

In summary, Socket.IO is a more versatile choice with better browser compatibility, higher-level abstraction, built-in scalability features, and a larger community. On the other hand, ws offers better performance, more customization options, and a lightweight footprint that makes it suitable for applications focusing solely on WebSockets.

Advice on Socket.IO and ws
Needs advice
on
ApolloApolloFirebaseFirebase
and
Socket.IOSocket.IO

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.

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Replies (3)
Timothy Malstead
Junior Full Stack Developer at Freelance · | 7 upvotes · 486.4K views
Recommends
on
FirebaseFirebase

I would recommend looking hard into Firebase for this project, especially if you do not have dedicated full-stack or backend members on your team.

The real time database, as you mentioned, is a great option, but I would also look into Firestore. Similar to RTDB, it adds more functions and some cool methods as well. Also, another great thing about Firebase is you have easy access to storage and dead simple auth as well.

Node.js Express MongoDB Socket.IO and Apollo are great technologies as well, and may be the better option if you do not wish to cede as much control to third parties in your application.

Overall, I say if you wish to focus more time developing your React application instead of other parts of your stack, Firebase is a great way to do that.

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Recommends
on
AblyAbly

Hello Noam 👋,

I suggest taking a look at Ably, it has all the realtime features you need and the platform is designed to guarantee critical functionality at scale.

Here is an in depth comparison between Ably and Firebase

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Recommends
on
8base8base

Hey Noam,

I would recommend you to take a look into 8base. It has features you've requested, also relation database and GraphQL API which will help you to develop rapidly.

Thanks, Ilya

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Pros of Socket.IO
Pros of ws
  • 219
    Real-time
  • 143
    Node.js
  • 141
    Event-based communication
  • 102
    Open source
  • 102
    WebSockets
  • 26
    Binary streaming
  • 21
    No internet dependency
  • 10
    Large community
  • 6
    Push notification
  • 5
    Ease of access and setup
  • 1
    Test
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    Cons of Socket.IO
    Cons of ws
    • 12
      Bad documentation
    • 4
      Githubs that complement it are mostly deprecated
    • 3
      Doesn't work on React Native
    • 2
      Small community
    • 2
      Websocket Errors
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      - No public GitHub repository available -

      What is Socket.IO?

      It enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication. It works on every platform, browser or device, focusing equally on reliability and speed.

      What is ws?

      It is a simple to use, blazing fast, and thoroughly tested WebSocket client and server implementation.

      Need advice about which tool to choose?Ask the StackShare community!

      What companies use Socket.IO?
      What companies use ws?
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      What tools integrate with Socket.IO?
      What tools integrate with ws?

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      Blog Posts

      Oct 3 2019 at 7:13PM

      Ably Realtime

      JavaScriptPythonNode.js+8
      5
      3888
      What are some alternatives to Socket.IO and ws?
      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.
      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.
      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.
      ExpressJS
      Express is a minimal and flexible node.js web application framework, providing a robust set of features for building single and multi-page, and hybrid web applications.
      See all alternatives