html - websockets apache server compatibility

Question

I want to make an app that displays new data whenever they arrive inside a folder via xml. I want to use html5 web sockets but I am confused on how it should be done. I am using xaamp on my machine for development. Do I have to install another server to use websockets? Is apache as it is compatible and if yes how do I make the connection with the client. Thank you in advance..

Answer 1

Your options are:

1. Use something like mod_websocket, as pointed out by Phillip Kovalev. Or pywebsocket. You could also try PHP WebSocket.
2. Use a dedicated self-hosted realtime web technology for realtime communication between server and client. If you do this you'll also need to define a way of application to realtime web server communications - normally achieved through message queues.
3. Use a hosted realtime web solution and offload the realtime push aspect of your application.

There are concerns about using Apache with this type of technology since this technology maintains long-running persistent connections between the server and client and Apache isn't know to be too great at this. So, the best solution may be to:

1. Go with a 2nd dedicated realtime web server in conjunction with using Apache as your application server
2. Use a self-hosted realtime web server that has the ability to handle many concurrent connections
3. Use a hosted service along with your Apache application server.

If you don't expect many concurrent connections or if you are just trying out the technology then it's possible that Apache alone will be all you need.