Agent skill · software engineering · jeremylongshore
building-websocket-server
Build scalable WebSocket servers for real-time bidirectional communication.
Why this skill is useful
Adds executable scripts for WebSocket server setup, connection management, and scaling with Redis that aren't in public docs.
What it needs
Requires node, redis installed locally. About 3k tokens when loaded. Last updated 2026-08-07. 2,604 stars on the source repository.
What this skill does
Building WebSocket Server Overview Build scalable WebSocket servers for real-time bidirectional communication using the ws library, Socket.IO, or native framework WebSocket support. Handle connection lifecycle management, room/channel subscriptions, message broadcasting, heartbeat keepalive, and horizontal scaling with Redis pub/sub adapters. Prerequisites Node.js 18+ with ws or socket.io, or Python 3.10+ with websockets or FastAPI WebSocket, or Go with gorilla/websocket Redis for horizontal scaling with pub/sub adapter (Socket.IO Redis adapter, or manual pub/sub) Load balancer configured for WebSocket upgrade (sticky sessions or proper Upgrade header forwarding) JWT or session-based authentication for connection handshake Monitoring for active connection counts and message throughput Instructions 1. Examine existing HTTP server configuration using Read and Grep to determine the framework and identify where WebSocket upgrade handling integrates. 2. Create a WebSocket server instance attached to the existing HTTP server, configuring the upgrade path (e.g., /ws, /socket.io) and allowed origins. 3. Implement connection authentication by validating JWT tokens or session cookies during the WebSocket handshake upgrade event, rejecting unauthorized connections before protocol switch. 4. Build a connection registry that tracks active clients with metadata (user ID, subscribed channels, connection time) for targeted message delivery. 5. Define a message protocol using JSON envelopes with type, channel, payload, and correlationId fields for structured bidirectional communication. 6. Implement room/channel subscription logic allowing clients to join and leave named channels with server-side membership tracking. 7. Add heartbeat ping/pong mechanism with configurable interval (default 30s) and timeout detection to clean up stale connections. 8. …
How to use it
Reference it in AdaL, Claude Code, Cursor or any coding agent — nothing to install:
@skills jeremylongshore/building-websocket-server--c76693