> nestjs-real-time

WebSocket and SSE selection strategies and scaling. Use when implementing WebSocket gateways or Server-Sent Events in NestJS. (triggers: **/*.gateway.ts, **/*.controller.ts, WebSocketGateway, SubscribeMessage, Sse, Socket.io)

fetch
$curl "https://skillshub.wtf/HoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard/nestjs-real-time?format=md"
SKILL.mdnestjs-real-time

Real-Time & WebSockets

Priority: P1 (OPERATIONAL)

WebSocket and real-time communication patterns with NestJS.

  • WebSockets (Bi-directional): Use for Chat, Multiplayer Games, Collaborative Editing.
    • High Complexity: Requires custom scaling (Redis Adapter) and sticky sessions (sometimes).
  • Server-Sent Events (SSE) (Uni-directional): Use for Notifications, Live Feeds, Tickers, CI Log streaming.
    • Low Complexity: Standard HTTP. Works with standard Load Balancers. Easy to secure.
    • NestJS: Use @Sse('route') returning Observable<MessageEvent>.
  • Long Polling: Use only as a fallback or for extremely low-frequency updates (e.g., job status check every 10m).
    • Impact: High header overhead. Blocks threads if not handled carefully.

WebSockets Implementation

  • Socket.io: Default choice. Features "Rooms", "Namespaces", and automatic reconnection. Heavy protocol.
  • Fastify/WS: Use ws adapter if performance is critical (e.g., high-frequency trading updates) and you don't need "Rooms" logic.

Scaling (Critical)

  • WebSockets: In K8s, a client connects to Pod A. If Pod B emits an event, the client won't receive it.
    • Solution: Redis Adapter (@socket.io/redis-adapter). Every pod publishes to Redis; Redis distributes to all other pods.
  • SSE: Stateless. No special adapter needed, but be aware of Connection Limits (6 concurrent connections per domain in HTTP/1.1; virtually unlimited in HTTP/2).
    • Rule: Must use HTTP/2 for SSE at scale.

Security

  • Handshake Auth: Standard HTTP Guards don't trigger on Ws connection efficiently.
    • Pattern: Validate JWT during the handleConnection() lifecycle method. Disconnect immediately if invalid.
  • Rate Limiting: Sockets are expensive. Apply strict throttling on "Message" events to prevent flooding.

Architecture

  • Gateway != Service: The WebSocketGateway should only handle client comms (Join Room, Ack message).
    • Rule: Delegate business logic to a Service or Command Bus.
  • Events: Use AsyncApi or SocketApi decorators (from community packages) to document WS events similarly to OpenAPI.

🚫 Anti-Patterns

  • Do NOT use standard patterns if specific project rules exist.
  • Do NOT ignore error handling or edge cases.

┌ stats

installs/wk0
░░░░░░░░░░
github stars341
██████████
first seenMar 17, 2026
└────────────

┌ repo

HoangNguyen0403/agent-skills-standard
by HoangNguyen0403
└────────────

┌ tags

└────────────