CODEWITHSUNDEEP
node.jsajaxchat
Yousef Essam
Yousef Essam

Reputation: 161

AJAX in chat applications

When I read about how to create chat applications in Node.js, I found out that the recommended way to do so was to use Socket.io and websockets.

I also read that we can regularly send requests using AJAX and wait for responses from the server.

So my question is: Can AJAX serve the same purpose as WebSockets, and use AJAX for chat applications instead of WebSockets?

Upvotes: 3

Views: 1251

Answers (1)

Retro Gamer
Retro Gamer

Reputation: 1122

You don't have to use websockets for chat applications, there is actually a wide range of technologies you can use.

AJAX: AJAX, or long polling can be used for web chats, but is considered a primitive and inefficient way to get updated chat information. The client listens for a change on the server-side, then when it get's a response from the server, it then makes another request to listen for requests. The reason this is looked down upon is because they client could be listening for a long time, without a response from the server.

WebSockets: Websockets is a protocol that runs over HTTP that facilitates bi-directional data. Similar to the TCP websocket protocol, there is a 3-way handshake involved in order to make a connection. Socket.io aids in the use of websockets by abstracting a lot of the raw websocket functions. The truth is that Socket.io actually provides backwards compatibility with browsers that only support long-polling or Flash for chat communication. Unlike WebRTC, there is a man-in-the-middle (server) to facilitate who is chatting with who.

WebRTC: WebRTC is a free, open project that provides browsers and mobile applications with Real-Time Communications (RTC) capabilities via simple APIs. These protocols allow peer-to-peer communications (chat included) with little use of a middle-man, or server. To address your question, it's great for "private-chats".

Flash: It is possible to use Flash for chat communications over the web. This is severely outdated, as Flash is slowly dying from the web.

Upvotes: 6

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