Node Realtime Libraries

Updated Sep 06, 2021#node#libs#lists

Node is one of the best programming languages out there to build real-time applications due to its event-driven and asynchronous nature, messaging and notification delivery are two of the most common use cases for real-time.

WebSocket provides the solution we need. WebSocket is a communication protocol that allows both the client and server to initiate communication.

  • Socket.IO - Enables real-time bidirectional event-based communication, consists of a Node server and a Javascript client library for the browser or Node.
  • ws - A simple to use, blazing fast, and thoroughly tested WebSocket client and server implementation in Node, does not work in the browser.
  • uWebSockets.js - A C++ implementation of the WebSocket/HTTP protocols for Node, easy to use from JavaScript. Think of it as a much faster alternative to both Socket.IO and Fastify/Express.js; it comes with both router and pub/sub support.
  • Feathers - A lightweight web-framework for creating real-time applications and REST APIs.