ws
MIT fast, tested WebSocket client and server for Node
Libraries / Libraries · OSS/MIT · 22.8k
Reviewed 2026-10-18 · last push 2026-10-13 · repo checked 2026-10-19
What's Good
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.
The Catch
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.
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Markdown
[](https://stackgems.com/gems/ws)
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