Vue Websocket: Everything You Need to Know

Websockets have revolutionized the way real-time communication works on the web. It allows the server to push updates to the client without requiring the client to constantly poll the server for new data. Vue.js, a progressive JavaScript framework, has excellent support for websockets. In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about Vue Websocket and how to use it in your Vue.js applications.

What is Vue Websocket?

Vue Websocket is a plugin for Vue.js that provides an easy-to-use wrapper for the WebSocket API. It allows Vue.js components to communicate with the server using websockets. The plugin provides a mixin that you can use to add websocket functionality to your Vue.js components.

How to Install Vue Websocket

The first step to using Vue Websocket is to install the plugin. You can install the plugin using npm or yarn:

  • npm: npm install vue-native-websocket –save
  • yarn: yarn add vue-native-websocket

Once you have installed the plugin, you need to add it to your Vue.js application. You can do this by importing the plugin and calling the Vue.use() method:

import VueNativeSock from 'vue-native-websocket'

Vue.use(VueNativeSock, 'ws://localhost:3000')

The first argument to the Vue.use() method is the plugin, and the second argument is the websocket URL. In this case, we are connecting to a websocket server running on localhost port 3000.

How to Use Vue Websocket

Adding Websocket Functionality to a Vue.js Component

To add websocket functionality to a Vue.js component, you need to use the Vue Native Sock mixin. You can do this by importing the mixin and adding it to your component:

import {VueNativeSock} from 'vue-native-websocket'

export default {mixins: [VueNativeSock.mixin],...}

Once you have added the mixin to your component, you can use the this.\$socket object to send and receive messages:

export default {mixins: [VueNativeSock.mixin],mounted() {this.\$socket.send('Hello, server!')},methods: {handleMessage(message) {console.log('Received message:', message)},},sockets: {message: 'handleMessage',},...}

In this example, we are sending a message to the server when the component is mounted using this.\$socket.send(). We are also defining a handleMessage() method that will be called when the component receives a message from the server. We are using the sockets object to map the ‘message’ event to the handleMessage() method.

Connecting to a Websocket Server

To connect to a websocket server using Vue Websocket, you need to specify the websocket URL when you call the Vue.use() method. The URL can be a string, an object, or a function that returns a string or an object.

String URL

If you specify a string URL, Vue Websocket will connect to the server using that URL:

Vue.use(VueNativeSock, 'ws://localhost:3000')

Object URL

If you specify an object URL, you can provide additional options for the websocket connection:

Vue.use(VueNativeSock, {url: 'ws://localhost:3000',format: 'json',reconnection: true,reconnectionAttempts: 5,reconnectionDelay: 3000,})

In this example, we are specifying the websocket URL, the message format, and the reconnection options.

Function URL

If you specify a function URL, you can dynamically generate the websocket URL based on the component’s props or data:

Vue.use(VueNativeSock, {url: ({id}) => \`ws://localhost:3000/\${id}\`,})

In this example, we are generating the websocket URL based on the component’s ‘id’ prop.

Sending and Receiving Messages

Once you have connected to a websocket server using Vue Websocket, you can use the this.\$socket object to send and receive messages.

Sending Messages

You can send messages to the server using the this.\$socket.send() method:

this.\$socket.send('Hello, server!')

You can also send JSON-formatted messages:

this.\$socket.sendJson({message: 'Hello, server!'})

Receiving Messages

You can receive messages from the server by defining a sockets object in your component:

export default {sockets: {message: (data) => {console.log('Received message:', data)},},...}

In this example, we are mapping the ‘message’ event to an anonymous function that logs the received message.

Reconnection Options

Vue Websocket provides several options for reconnecting to a websocket server if the connection is lost:

  • reconnection: Whether to attempt to reconnect when the connection is lost. Default is true.
  • reconnectionAttempts: The maximum number of reconnection attempts. Default is Infinity.
  • reconnectionDelay: The delay between reconnection attempts in milliseconds. Default is 1000.

You can specify these options when you call the Vue.use() method:

Vue.use(VueNativeSock, {url: 'ws://localhost:3000',reconnection: true,reconnectionAttempts: 5,reconnectionDelay: 3000,})

Other Options

Vue Websocket provides several other options for configuring the websocket connection:

  • format: The format of the messages sent and received. Can be ‘json’ or ‘text’. Default is ‘text’.
  • passToStoreHandler: Whether to pass the incoming message to the store’s onMessage() handler. Default is false.
  • store: The Vuex store to use for passing incoming messages. Default is null.
  • mutations: The Vuex mutations to use for passing incoming messages. Default is {}.

You can specify these options when you call the Vue.use() method:

Vue.use(VueNativeSock, {url: 'ws://localhost:3000',format: 'json',passToStoreHandler: true,store,mutations: {addMessage: 'ADD_MESSAGE',},})

FAQ

What is a Websocket?

A websocket is a bi-directional communication protocol that allows real-time communication between a client and a server. It provides a persistent connection between the client and the server, allowing the server to push updates to the client without requiring the client to constantly poll the server for new data.

What is Vue.js?

Vue.js is a progressive JavaScript framework for building user interfaces. It provides a simple and intuitive API for creating reusable components and managing application state. Vue.js is designed to be easy to learn and use, and is highly customizable and extensible.

What is Vuex?

Vuex is a state management pattern and library for Vue.js applications. It provides a centralized store for managing application state, and provides a set of rules for ensuring that the state can only be mutated in a predictable way. Vuex is designed to be used with Vue.js, and provides a simple and intuitive API for managing application state.

What is JSON?

JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. JSON is a text format that is completely language independent, but uses conventions that are familiar to programmers of the C family of languages, including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, and many others.