Description
- Polling - keep asking the backend for data
- SSE - let the backend send you data
- WebSocket - two way high speed dataflow
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Reach for when
You want to display data in "real time" without waiting on user actions to take place.
Visualization
| Transport | Latency | Direction | Complexity | Use When |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polling | Seconds | Client→Server | Lowest | Player counts, dashboards. Data changes slowly. |
| SSE | Sub-second | Server→Client | Low | Notifications, live scores. One-way push. Auto-reconnects. |
| WebSocket | Sub-second | Bidirectional | Highest | Chat, collaboration. Need client→server real-time too. |