Polling every 30 seconds is not real-time. WebSockets are.
Live updates, collaborative editing, real-time dashboards, and push notifications require persistent connections. If you're simulating real-time with client polling, you're building the wrong thing. The right architecture for live data is different from the right architecture for request/response.
Application that needs live updates — collaborative features, real-time dashboards, live notifications, or multiplayer functionality — and the current polling-based approach isn't working
Polling (checking for updates every N seconds) works at low volume. The problems: it's wasteful (most polls return "no change"), the update delay is limited by the polling interval, and it doesn't scale to many users.
Real-time patterns and what they require:
Live dashboard updates (metrics update as events happen): WebSocket connection from the browser, server pushes updates when data changes. Libraries: Ably, Pusher, or direct Socket.io.
Collaborative editing (multiple users editing the same document): requires operational transforms or CRDTs to handle concurrent edits correctly. Libraries: Liveblocks, PartyKit, or a custom Yjs implementation.
Presence (show who's online, who's viewing what): WebSocket connection per user, presence events when users join/leave. Ably and Liveblocks both handle this.
Live chat: WebSocket channels per conversation. Can use Ably, Stream, or Socket.io.
Real-time notifications: Push to connected clients when events occur. Server-Sent Events (SSE) is a simpler alternative to WebSockets for one-directional push.
The serverless constraint: WebSocket connections are persistent. Serverless functions (Vercel, Lambda) can't hold open WebSocket connections. Real-time features require a traditional server (Fly.io, Railway) or a managed WebSocket service (Ably, Pusher).
WebSocket-based real-time architecture that delivers live updates without polling overhead — using Ably, Liveblocks, or a custom Socket.io server depending on the requirements
Ably integration
for production-ready real-time features with managed infrastructure
Liveblocks
for document collaboration and presence features
Socket.io server
on Fly.io for custom real-time requirements
Server-Sent Events
for simpler one-directional live updates
One honest number to start.
Fixed-scope, fixed-price. The number below is the starting point — final scope is built from your brief.
WebSocket-based real-time architecture that delivers live updates without polling overhead — using Ably, Liveblocks, or a custom Socket.io server depending on the requirements
Three steps, every time.
The same repeatable engagement on every project. No surprises, no mystery, no billable ambiguity.
Brief & discovery.
We send you questions, then get on a call. Output: a written scope with every step, feature, and integration listed.
Build & ship.
Fixed schedule, weekly reviews. No scope creep unless you change the scope — and if you do, we reprice it transparently.
Warranty & retainer.
30-day warranty on every launch. Most clients stay on a monthly retainer for ongoing features and maintenance.
Why Fixed-Price Matters Here
Real-time scope is well-defined: which data changes should be pushed and to which clients. Included in the project proposal.
Questions, answered.
With managed services (Ably): millions — it's their infrastructure problem. Self-hosted Socket.io on a single server: typically 10,000-50,000 concurrent connections with proper tuning.
Pusher was the standard for years. Ably is the modern alternative with better pricing for most applications. Both are managed WebSocket services.
Tell Ryel about your project.
Describe what you’re building and what outcome you need. You’ll have a written, fixed-price scope within the week.