What types of tasks have you implemented or solved when working with the WebSocket protocol?

Working with the WebSocket protocol often involves tasks related to implementing bidirectional real-time communication between the client and server. For example:

• Chat applications where messages are instantly transmitted between users.
• Notification and alert systems that require immediate data delivery.
• Online games with synchronized state between players.
• Monitoring and displaying real-time data (e.g., financial charts, metrics).

An example in Node.js using the ws library:

const WebSocket = require('ws');
const wss = new WebSocket.Server({ port: 8080 });

wss.on('connection', function connection(ws) {
  ws.on('message', function incoming(message) {
    console.log('received: %s', message);
    // Broadcast the message to all connected clients
    wss.clients.forEach(function each(client) {
      if (client !== ws && client.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
        client.send(message);
      }
    });
  });
  ws.send('Welcome to the chat!');
});

Thus, WebSocket enables the creation of interactive applications with low latency data transmission.