Which tool/implementation to use for WebSocket based communication?

Question

I need a .Net based solution that be able to push notifications to its clients. Client could be a Windows application or can be a Web application.

The important thing is that I don't need an RPC based approach as we do not need any sort of IO blocking based architecture. I first went for SignalR but when I found that its RPC based, I changed my mind although its Hubs API based approach is very easy to use.

Primarily, I need a Message-Oriented mechanism that is not only light weight and which also is non-blocking, low overhead, and one that is reliable, as my application is based on evidence based data and so cannot afford to loose any sent message as much as possible. Message could be queued however if message processor is busy.

I have looked over the internet for other solutions like node.js, SuperWebSocket but I am confused and being a novice cannot ascertain what exactly and which solution/alternative I should go for.

I hope someone would guide me, keeping in view what is best for my scenario/requirement.

Answer 1

SignalR does offer PersistentConnection functionality that is less involved than the Hubs API. However, I had to search quite hard to find the documentation on it - they're clearly pushing Hubs.

Alternative .NET options that I know of are XSockets who offer a PubSub mechanism. They're actively developing their solution.

I'm not sure of any solutions that 100% guarantee message delivery so you may need to add your own acknowledgement messaging into the solution you choose.

Also see:

• Fleck
• SuperWebSocket
• Alchemy WebSockets

The best way to determine the one with the lowest overhead would be to write a simple app for each and measure memory and CPU usage, and also message latency.

Answer 2

Question is subjective, but this is my recommendation: http://www.asp.net/signalr