Server-Sent Events in Next.js: A Scalable Alternative to HTTP Polling

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HTTP polling, a common method for fetching real-time data, creates serious scalability problems by generating thousands of redundant server requests per second from active users. Server-Sent Events (SSE) offer a more efficient alternative for uni-directional data streaming, keeping a single HTTP connection open and pushing updates only when new data is available. Unlike WebSockets, SSE works over standard HTTP, making it compatible with corporate firewalls and HTTP/2 multiplexing without requiring additional server infrastructure. In Next.js, SSE can be implemented using the Web Streams API within an App Router route handler, which streams data to the client and cleans up resources automatically on disconnect. This architecture significantly reduces unnecessary CPU, memory, and database load compared to traditional polling approaches.

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