# SocketCluster

> MIT Node pub/sub+RPC+JWT with SCC scale-out

**Category:** Comms  
**Pricing:** open-source  
**URL:** https://socketcluster.io  
**GitHub:** https://github.com/SocketCluster/socketcluster  
**Added:** 2026-09-04

---

## The Hook

SocketCluster is Node realtime with pub/sub, RPC, and JWT when Socket.IO is only sockets.

## What's Good

MIT. Pub/sub + RPC + JWT auth in one Node stack. SCC (SocketCluster Cluster) for horizontal scale-out. You run the servers — no product seat tax on the core.

## The Catch

Node pub/sub+RPC+JWT+SCC scale-out — not Socket.IO library-only, not Soketi Pusher-protocol, not Centrifugo Go hub, not NATS messaging, not AnyCable Rails WS. Distinct from Socket.IO, Soketi, Centrifugo, NATS, and AnyCable.

## Verdict

MIT Node realtime cluster. Self-host free; not Socket.IO alone.