Live Connection from Javascript/html

Question

Is there a way to have a live connection (like for a chat server) with a server using only HTML(5)/JavaScript?

Answer 1

Apparently FF4, Chrome, and Safari all support Web Sockets.

Here's a firefox example, although I'm not sure the spec is completely finalized yet.

Answer 2

Due to the nature of HTTP (only clients can start requests), you would need a "Push" server (aka Comet) on the server-side. You'd still only need JS on the client. See:

• HTTP Streaming for an explanation of the technology
• APE: Ajax Push Engine for usable implementation
• Comet Daily for news on Comet

This can also be implemented with a periodic refresh (polling) if you can't install a Comet engine on the server.

Answer 3

Yup. AJAX and some server code to handle messages updates is all you need to create just such a system. As @NullUserException noted, something like Comet might make this easier.