{"data":{"slug":"ws","name":"ws","tagline":"MIT fast, tested WebSocket client and server for Node","category":"libraries","categoryName":"Libraries","url":"https://github.com/websockets/ws","github":"https://github.com/websockets/ws","pricing":"open-source","hook":"ws is a simple, fast WebSocket client and server for Node.js, and the library underneath many real-time Node apps and frameworks.","whatsGood":"MIT (websockets/ws), release 8.22.0 (2026-09-26), maintained since 2011. Passes the extensive Autobahn test suite for both server and client. Optional native add-ons for extra performance. A small API that stays close to the protocol. ★~22.8k.","theCatch":"Node only; browsers must use the native WebSocket. It is low-level, so rooms, reconnection and fallbacks are your job (or use Socket.IO). Recent Node versions ship a built-in WebSocket client.","verdict":"The default raw WebSocket library for Node servers.","addedAt":"2026-10-18","featured":false,"domain":"Libraries","subSpecialty":"Libraries","subcategory":"Libraries","tags":["self-host","permissive","realtime","active"],"capabilities":["realtime"],"surfaces":["Self-host"],"ecosystem":["Node.js"],"licenseModel":"OSS/MIT","githubStars":22805,"starsPerWeek":29,"access":"free","archived":false,"repo":{"createdAt":"2011-11-09","pushedAt":"2026-10-13","license":"MIT","archived":false,"checkedAt":"2026-10-19"}},"related":[{"slug":"hono","name":"Hono","tagline":"Tiny TypeScript web framework that runs on every runtime"},{"slug":"phaser","name":"Phaser","tagline":"MIT HTML5 2D game framework with scenes, physics, and tilemaps"},{"slug":"pixijs","name":"PixiJS","tagline":"MIT 2D WebGPU/WebGL renderer, not a game engine"},{"slug":"babylonjs","name":"Babylon.js","tagline":"Apache-2.0 3D engine for the web, now on v9"},{"slug":"playcanvas","name":"PlayCanvas","tagline":"MIT WebGL2/WebGPU engine plus an optional hosted Editor"}],"links":{"self":"/api/gems/ws","html":"/gems/ws","markdown":"/gems/ws.md","category":"/api/gems?category=libraries","categoryPage":"/stacks/libraries"}}