WebSockets vs HTTP: the Pros and Cons for Real-Time Communication
A few months ago, I had a collaboration platform project to develop, which included a real-time chat application between influencers and brand representatives. To implement this feature, I searched for how to add this functionality. As a result, I came across the WebSocket protocol. Through additional research on this protocol, I wondered about the differences between it and the HTTP protocol. Eventually, I arrived at the following conclusions.
HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and WebSocket are both communication protocols, but they serve different purposes and have distinct characteristics. Here’s a comparison between HTTP and WebSocket:
What is WebSocket?
It offers the following advantages:
- Real-time Data transfer: immediate and continuous transmission of information. This results in minimal latency between the generation of data and its reception or processing.
- Bi-directional Data transfer: sending and receiving messages between a client and a server in a two-way communication channel as full-duplex communication.
- Efficiency: WebSocket doesn’t require headers to be sent within each message. Consequently, less data is transferred which makes it more efficient in real-time applications that send frequent small packets.
- Persistent Connection: the connection between the client and the server remains open once established until either one of them decides to close it. As a result, this significantly reduces data transfer latency.
When do we use Websockets?
- Real-time application
- Chat Application
- Stocks updates
- Collaborative editing
- Internet of Things
Zooming in on WebSocket, we find that it starts with an HTTP-based handshake, and once the connection is established, it switches to the WebSocket protocol, and the server can push data. The initial handshake includes an upgrade request and response. The request includes a secret secure WebSocket key, base64 encoded, generated value that the server has to use from the response.
For less interactive applications or when data is mostly transferred from the client to the traditional server, an HTTP request might be more appropriate, as WebSocket is not the best solution. Moreover, WebSocket consumes more server resources and does not scale as effectively in scenarios with a very large number of simultaneous connections.
What is HTTP?
It is a Request-Response protocol that offers a unidirectional connection, meaning that the server cannot initiate a request to the client where he sends a request to the server, and the server responds to that request. This is a stateless communication model. Each HTTP request is independent of others, and the connection is closed after each request-response cycle. As a consequence, this conserves resources on both the client and server.
It is designed for transferring hypertext (HTML) and multimedia content over the web. Typically used for traditional web applications and RESTful APIs. Suitable for scenarios where the client initiates communication with the server and receives a response.
Pros of Using HTTP:
Simplicity: It is easy to understand and implement because it follows a simple and straightforward request-response model.
Caching: It allows for caching, which can enhance performance by reducing the need for repeated data transfers.
Compatibility: Since it is the foundation of the World Wide Web, HTTP is compatible with various web technologies and tools.
Cons of Using HTTP:
Limited Interactivity: HTTP is designed for a client to initiate requests, and the server responds. This limits real-time interactivity in applications, such as chat or live updates.
Connection Overhead: as a new connection is established for each request, this leads to potential latency when multiple requests are required.
Security Concerns: It unsuitable for sensitive information , because the transmitted data over HTTP is vulnerable to interception.
Resource Consumption: When there is a large number of simultaneous connections, thescalability can be impacted as the resources required for each HTTP connection can be substantial.
For more in-depth information about HTTP, you can visit this article:
An overview of HTTP — HTTP | MDN (mozilla.org)
Final word: As we have seen, the key difference between the two protocols is the communication style. When deciding to use WebSockets in your upcoming projects over HTTP, you’d better consider the key points mentioned before. Happy journey
