XMPP or Websockets: What You Should Select For Your Mobile Chat App?
Sat, 10 Apr 2021
The communication trend has changed with the internet opening the channel of communication and web-based live chat applications taking advantage of their capabilities. Traditional SMS conversations have now become outdated and the USP is no longer the expense of the message sent for live chat service providers but the usefulness and experience generated by their chat application.
Messaging protocols such as Websockets and XMPP are two of the most commonly used instant messaging protocols on the market-used by messaging apps such as Whatsapp, Telegram, and Hike.
Understanding XMPP and Websockets
XMPP and Websockets are, to put it bluntly, communication protocols that enable machines to communicate with each other. These protocols define the Communication process by 5 key elements:
- Rules
- Syntax
- Semantics
- Synchronization
- Error recovery methods
Using XMPP and Websockets, developers do not have to think about purchasing any cloud storage space to save any client data because all the data is stored locally on the client devices and the servers are used to act as an intermediary between the chat participants.
How XMPP Messaging Works
Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol (XMPP), originally known as Jabber, is one of the most popular solutions for creating an application for real-time communication-largely because it is open source and extensible. Developed and managed by the open-source community Jabber, XMPP servers have their own cloud storage with no chat user limitations.
You will need the following tools to create a Chat application using XMPP:
- Java, C or Erlang developer
- Jabber server for message delivery system setup
- YAWS server to manage concurrent processes.
- Mnesia database to store data on the servers rather than on the client’s mobile devices.
Advantages of XMPP
- Extensible
- Decentralized architecture
- Security
- Flexibility
Disadvantages of XMPP
- No default way to assure message delivery
- No default support for binary data transfer
- In-band media files transfer limit
- Slow speed
How Websockets Messaging Works
To support full-duplex communication between a client application and the communication server, the Websockets messaging protocol is built. For Websockets, the data is transmitted and retrieved over a TCP link in real-time, between two or more peers.
Websockets-based connections are often referred to as a persistent (or always on) link in order to accommodate a complete duplex link and data can be exchanged between two client applications without the recipient needing to make any request.
Advantages of Websockets
- Speed
- Unlimited open sessions
- Less network traffic
- Faster message deliverability
Disadvantages of Websockets
- Low Security
- Incompatible with Telnet client
- No default way to delay message deliverability
Conclusion
As we reach towards drawing out a conclusion, it’s very clear that both XMPP and Websockets are two separate approaches to setting up a chat app. Although XMPP provides rich security and lacks speed, Websockets is providing the complete opposite. If you choose between the two you have to focus on your business model.
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