How WebSockets Fixed a Fleet-Tracking Dashboard Buckling Under Polling Load
A fleet-tracking dashboard serving 400-800 concurrent users was failing because every browser tab polled a REST API every three seconds, exhausting the API budget and causing timeouts. Switching to WebSockets replaced repeated HTTP requests with a single persistent TCP connection per client, letting the server push updates instantly instead of responding to constant polling. The article outlines a practical path from a minimal Node.js ws echo server to a production-grade, horizontally scaled Socket.IO deployment. Key engineering considerations covered include heartbeat management, backpressure handling, and reconnection logic to maintain stability under real-world load. The author also draws a clear boundary for when WebSockets are the right choice versus simpler polling, recommending them specifically when sub-second latency or server-initiated pushes are core to the product.
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