Book Image

Getting Started with HTML5 WebSocket Programming

By : Vangos Pterneas
Book Image

Getting Started with HTML5 WebSocket Programming

By: Vangos Pterneas

Overview of this book

<p>WebSockets are capable of bi-directional, full-duplex communication over a persistent TCP connection They provide many benefits compared to the alternatives (for example, long-polling or Comet), such as lower overhead, persistent connections, and low latency. In short, it is the most technically challenging HTML5 feature to implement, but for truly interactive websites, it's a technology worth learning.</p> <p>Getting Started with HTML5 WebSocket Programming gives you the true power of bi-directional communication, implemented by using the brand new HTML5 WebSocket API. You’ll learn how to configure the server and clients, how to transmit different types of data and how to secure the whole system.</p> <p>This book will introduce you to the WebSocket world. We start by introducing the WebSocket API, and continue with practical, real-world examples until we can determine how to build multi-functional web apps for any type of device.</p> <p>You will learn how to configure a web client and a web server that will help you send messages to others using easy-to-use mechanisms. We will also find out how different data types, such as images and videos, can be transferred with little effort. We present additional fallback techniques and solutions for older browsers too. Finally, we will secure our clients from malicious attacks and other threats.</p>
Table of Contents (15 chapters)

The future is now


New neuroscience research confirms the old adage about the power of a handshake: people do form a better impression of those who proffer their hand in greeting (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/10/121019141300.htm). As a human handshake can lead to better deals, so a WebSocket handshake can lead to better user experience. We investigate user experience as a combination of performance (the user is waiting less) and simplicity (the developer builds straight and quick).

So, it's up to you: do you want to build modern, truly real-time web applications? Do you want to provide your users with the maximum experience? Do you want to offer a terrific performance boost to your existing web apps? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then it's time to realize that the WebSocket API is mature enough to offer its goodies right here right now.