Node Tactics

Web Development

Node.js WebSockets

Using WebSockets

Node.js WebSockets use ws module for real-time communication.

Introduction to WebSockets

WebSockets are a protocol for full-duplex communication channels over a single TCP connection. Unlike HTTP, WebSockets allow for persistent connections, enabling real-time data transfer between clients and servers.

In this tutorial, we'll explore how to implement WebSockets in Node.js using the popular ws module.

Installing the ws Module

To get started, you need to install the ws module. You can do this using npm by running the following command in your terminal:

Creating a WebSocket Server

Once the ws module is installed, you can create a WebSocket server. Here is a basic example:

Connecting a WebSocket Client

To connect to your WebSocket server, you can create a simple client using JavaScript. Here's how:

Handling Errors

Handling errors in WebSocket communication is crucial for building robust applications. You can listen for error events on both the server and client side:

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we've covered the basics of setting up a WebSocket server and client using the ws module in Node.js. WebSockets are a powerful tool for real-time communication in web applications, and the ws module makes it easy to integrate this functionality into your Node.js projects.

In the next post of this series, we'll explore how to handle HTTP requests efficiently in Node.js.

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HTTP Requests