Websockets

Websockets are a key component of our backend infrastructure, enabling real-time, bidirectional communication between the frontend and backend. This approach is particularly suited for applications where low-latency updates are essential, such as notifications, live data streams, or collaborative tools.

Current Architecture

Dedicated Websocket Pod

We have a dedicated Kubernetes deployment that handles websocket connections. This ensures scalability and isolates the handling of websocket traffic from other backend operations, improving reliability and performance.

Backend Communication via NATS

To integrate websocket functionality with the rest of our backend, we use NATS, a high-performance messaging system. This setup allows:

Loose coupling between services.

Efficient communication between the websocket pod and other backend components.

Scalability to support increasing traffic.

When an event occurs in the backend that needs to be pushed to a client via websockets, the event is published to NATS. The websocket pod subscribes to the relevant NATS channels and relays the messages to the connected clients.

Future Vision

In the future, we aim to further streamline real-time communication by connecting the frontend directly to NATS using the websocket protocol. This approach offers several potential benefits:

• Reduced Latency: Eliminating the dedicated websocket pod as an intermediary can reduce message relay time.
• Simplified Architecture: Fewer moving parts in the backend architecture.
• Improved Scalability: Direct connections to NATS allow for more granular scaling based on actual client demands.

See the NATS & JetsStream section for more details.

Best Practices

• Security: Ensure secure connections using protocols like WSS and implement authentication for websocket connections.
• Error Handling: Implement robust reconnection logic on both the client and server sides to handle disconnections gracefully.
• Monitoring: Use appropriate monitoring tools to track websocket connection health and performance metrics.

By leveraging websockets and NATS, we continue to build a robust, scalable, and real-time communication system that meets the demands of modern applications.