HTML, the most important part of web development, was lacking somewhere, but now developers are returning to HTML5 because of its enhancements and features, giving them a new experience of development. WebSocket support on different browsers made it easier to develop web applications with a lot of features.
Data communication between the client and the server is one of the most important parts of any web application. Almost all browsers support WebSockets, which makes it more powerful and available. Developers always want to build their application on a concrete ground so that it is reliable for users. WebSocket makes this possible now. With HTML5 enhancements, it is being accepted and appreciated widely in the community.
In this book, you will learn and understand how WebSockets with HTML5 can create great applications, especially applications where data needs to be pushed from both the client side and the server side. With some basic sample applications that we will create in this book, you will understand how the client can be set up and how the Node.js-based WebSocket server can be created with ease.
This book is for developers who want to learn to create WebSocket-based applications. It gives you real-world scenarios for implementing different aspects of communication with WebSockets. It is simple to learn and easy to understand.
Chapter 1, Introducing the World of Web App, is an introduction to web applications, covering the basics of the Web. This chapter introduces HTML5, its new features and WebSockets.
Chapter 2, Getting Started with WebSockets, covers WebSockets in depth, including the benefits of WebSockets and how to create a sample application. Here, you learn to create your own basic WebSocket server using the Node.js platform.
Chapter 3, Configuring the Server and Transferring Real–time Data, shows how data can be sent across different users connected to the server using WebSockets. This chapter also covers the creation of an application using the JavaScript library to share a presentation and collaboratively change slides between different users.
Chapter 4, Using WebSockets in Real Scenario, demonstrates another application to explain more about how WebSockets can be used in real-world scenarios. This chapter also talks about the JavaScript framework and its uses.
Chapter 5, WebSockets for Mobile and Tablet, covers how WebSockets behaves with mobile devices, different libraries for mobile WebSockets, running the server on an Android mobile phone, and the use of the Express.js package for delivering content from within the server.
Chapter 6, Enhancing HTML5 Web Application Development Using Modern Tools, explains different tools and techniques that can be used to enhance web application development. This chapter illustrates speeding up development using different tools such as editors, package mangers, version control, boilerplates, application frameworks, responsive web design, and more.
You will need a machine that has a modern browser installed on it, primarily a browser that supports WebSockets and HTML5. You'll also require a text editor, such as Sublime Text. Further, it is necessary to install Node.js if you don't have it.
To check whether your browser supports WebSockets and HTML5 or not, go to http://www.caniuse.com.
This book is for web developers with a basic knowledge of HTML and JavaScript. It focuses on implementing different applications and gives hands-on experience to developers. It is a fast book and it equips you with the necessary tools and techniques for developing WebSocket-based applications.
In this book, you will find a number of text styles that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles and an explanation of their meaning.
Code words in text, database table names, folder names, filenames, file extensions, pathnames, dummy URLs, user input, and Twitter handles are shown as follows: "Here, Host is the name of the server that we are hitting."
A block of code is set as follows:
<html> <head> <meta charset="utf-8" > <title>WebSocket Test</title> <script language="javascript" type="text/javascript"> var wsUri = "ws://echo.websocket.org/"; var output;
New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, for example, in menus or dialog boxes, appear in the text like this: "Take a look at the Console log in the left-hand-side window."
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