Socket.IO explained

Socket.IO is an event-driven library for real-time web applications. It enables real-time, bi-directional communication between web clients and servers.^[2] It consists of two components: a client, and a server. Both components have a nearly identical API.

Socket.IO is also a protocol,^[3] where different complying implementations of the protocol can communicate with each other. The main implementation consists of two parts: a client that runs in the browser and a server for Node.js. Apart from the main implementation, there are multiple implementations, for example, the official Deno (JavaScript), C++, Java, Python, and Swift servers.

Socket.IO primarily uses the WebSocket protocol with polling as a fallback option, while providing the same interface.^[4] Although it can be used simply as a wrapper for WebSockets, it provides many additional features such as heartbeats and timeouts.

It can be installed with the npm (Node Package Manager).^[5]

See also

• JavaScript framework
• JavaScript library
• SignalR

Notes and References

1. Web site: socket.io/LICENSE at master · socketio/socket.io · GitHub . GitHub . 20 January 2023.
2. Book: Prusty, Narayan . Modern JavaScript Applications . 2016-07-25 . Packt Publishing Ltd . 978-1-78588-027-8 . 103 . en.
3. Web site: Socket.IO Protocol . GitHub . en . May 26, 2023.
4. Book: Ihrig, Colin J. . Pro Node.js for Developers . 2014-01-18 . Apress . 978-1-4302-5861-2 . 213 . en.
5. Web site: socket.io . npmjs.org . 31 May 2023 .