[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"post-websocket-vs-sse-vs-long-polling":3,"header-categories":86,"parsed-post-d0ece37f-c009-4dbd-b886-b6c555d65606":147},{"success":4,"data":5},true,{"id":6,"slug":7,"title":8,"excerpt":9,"content":10,"status":11,"visibility":12,"featuredImage":13,"canonicalUrl":14,"readingTime":15,"viewCount":16,"commentEnabled":4,"publishedAt":17,"scheduledAt":14,"createdAt":18,"updatedAt":19,"seoTitle":20,"seoDescription":9,"seoKeywords":14,"authorId":21,"author":22,"coAuthors":27,"tags":28,"categories":44,"comments":53,"_count":54,"relatedPosts":56},"d0ece37f-c009-4dbd-b886-b6c555d65606","websocket-vs-sse-vs-long-polling","WebSocket vs Server-Sent Events vs Long Polling","Choose the right real-time communication strategy. A technical comparison of WebSockets, SSE, and long polling with decision criteria.","## The Real-Time Spectrum\n\nNot all \"real-time\" needs are equal. Choose based on your actual requirements, not on what sounds coolest.\n\n## Long Polling\n\nThe simplest approach — client asks \"anything new?\" repeatedly:\n\n```typescript\n\u002F\u002F Client\nasync function poll() {\n  while (true) {\n    try {\n      const response = await fetch('\u002Fapi\u002Fupdates?since=' + lastTimestamp)\n      const data = await response.json()\n      if (data.updates.length > 0) {\n        handleUpdates(data.updates)\n        lastTimestamp = data.timestamp\n      }\n    } catch (e) {\n      await sleep(5000) \u002F\u002F backoff on error\n    }\n    await sleep(1000) \u002F\u002F poll interval\n  }\n}\n```\n\n**Pros:** Works everywhere, simple to implement, stateless server\n**Cons:** Latency (up to poll interval), wasted requests, server load\n\n**Use when:** Simple notification checks, legacy browser support needed\n\n## Server-Sent Events (SSE)\n\nServer pushes to client over a persistent HTTP connection:\n\n```typescript\n\u002F\u002F Server (Nuxt\u002FNitro)\nexport default defineEventHandler((event) => {\n  setHeader(event, 'Content-Type', 'text\u002Fevent-stream')\n  setHeader(event, 'Cache-Control', 'no-cache')\n\n  const stream = new ReadableStream({\n    start(controller) {\n      const send = (data: unknown) => {\n        controller.enqueue(`data: ${JSON.stringify(data)}\\n\\n`)\n      }\n\n      \u002F\u002F Subscribe to updates\n      const unsubscribe = subscribe('updates', send)\n      event.node.req.on('close', () => {\n        unsubscribe()\n        controller.close()\n      })\n    },\n  })\n\n  return sendStream(event, stream)\n})\n```\n\n```typescript\n\u002F\u002F Client\nconst source = new EventSource('\u002Fapi\u002Fstream')\nsource.onmessage = (event) => {\n  const data = JSON.parse(event.data)\n  handleUpdate(data)\n}\nsource.onerror = () => {\n  \u002F\u002F EventSource auto-reconnects!\n}\n```\n\n**Pros:** Auto-reconnection, simple API, works through most proxies, HTTP\u002F2 multiplexing\n**Cons:** Unidirectional (server → client only), text-only, limited connections per domain\n\n**Use when:** Live feeds, notifications, dashboards, stock tickers\n\n::callout{icon=\"i-lucide-zap\" color=\"success\"}\nSSE is my default recommendation for most real-time features. It's simpler than WebSockets, auto-reconnects, and is sufficient for 80% of use cases.\n::\n\n## WebSockets\n\nFull-duplex communication channel:\n\n```typescript\n\u002F\u002F Server\nconst wss = new WebSocketServer({ port: 8080 })\n\nwss.on('connection', (ws) => {\n  ws.on('message', (data) => {\n    const message = JSON.parse(data.toString())\n    \u002F\u002F Handle client messages\n    if (message.type === 'subscribe') {\n      channels.add(ws, message.channel)\n    }\n  })\n\n  \u002F\u002F Push to client\n  ws.send(JSON.stringify({ type: 'connected', timestamp: Date.now() }))\n})\n```\n\n**Pros:** Bidirectional, binary data support, lowest latency, established standard\n**Cons:** Stateful (scaling is harder), no auto-reconnect, blocked by some proxies\n\n**Use when:** Chat, multiplayer games, collaborative editing, bidirectional streaming\n\n## Comparison Table\n\n| Feature | Long Polling | SSE | WebSocket |\n|---------|:-:|:-:|:-:|\n| Direction | Client → Server | Server → Client | Bidirectional |\n| Auto-reconnect | Manual | Built-in | Manual |\n| Binary data | ❌ | ❌ | ✅ |\n| HTTP\u002F2 compatible | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ |\n| Proxy-friendly | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ |\n| Scaling difficulty | Low | Medium | High |\n| Browser support | All | All modern | All modern |\n\n## Decision Framework\n\n1. Do you need **client-to-server streaming**? → WebSocket\n2. Is it **server-to-client updates**? → SSE\n3. Do you need **binary data**? → WebSocket\n4. Is **simplicity** a priority? → SSE\n5. Running in a **serverless** environment? → SSE or Long Polling\n\nStart with the simplest option that meets your requirements. 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