What Are WebSockets?

WebSockets are a communication protocol that enables real-time, two-way communication between a client and a server over a single, long-lived connection. They provide a persistent connection that allows both the client and the server to initiate communication at any time.

How do I use WebSockets?

There are few factors to be mindful of while using websockets.

Handling Connection Failures

WebSocket connections can experience disruptions due to network issues or other factors. Implement error handling mechanisms to gracefully handle connection failures. This includes handling connection timeouts, connection drops, and intermittent connection issues. Implement reconnection logic to automatically attempt to reconnect and resume communication when a connection is lost.

Implementing Error Handling

WebSocket APIs can return errors in response to invalid requests, authentication failures, or other issues. Implement proper error handling to interpret and handle these errors in your application. Provide meaningful error messages to users and handle any exceptional scenarios gracefully. To prevent unknowingly initiating too many errors we have put a limit on how many of the same errors you can have in a row.

Closing WebSockets

The benefits of using a the websocket is the persistent connection. The open socket should be used until the application is done utilizing the service and then closed.

Staying Up-to-Date

Keep track of any updates, new features, or changes to the WebSocket API. Stay informed about any deprecations or migration paths provided by the API provider. Regularly update your integration to use the latest versions of the API and take advantage of any improvements or bug fixes.