Real-Time

Pushing data to a client on a protocol built to do the opposite.

1. 01

   Short Polling

   0/3

   Client asks 'anything new?' on a fixed timer. Simple but wasteful.

   1. How It Works2 min
   2. The Cost Model2 min
   3. When It's Honestly Fine2 min
2. 02

   Long Polling

   0/3

   Server holds the connection open until data is ready, then client immediately reconnects.

   1. The Hanging Request2 min
   2. Timeouts and Reconnects2 min
   3. Long Polling at Scale2 min
3. 03

   Server-Sent Events (SSE)

   0/3

   One HTTP connection; server streams events to client indefinitely.

   1. The Event Stream Protocol2 min
   2. Reconnection and Last-Event-ID2 min
   3. SSE vs WebSocket2 min
4. 04

   WebSocket

   0/4

   Full-duplex persistent connection, both sides send messages freely after a single handshake.

   1. The Upgrade Handshake3 min
   2. Full Duplex Messaging2 min
   3. Scaling WebSocket Fleets2 min
   4. When Not to Use It2 min