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WebSocket Connection Management

SDD Classification: L3-Technical Authority: Engineering Team Review Cycle: Quarterly
This guide covers WebSocket connection establishment, lifecycle management, reconnection strategies, and best practices for maintaining reliable real-time connections.

Establishing a Connection

Connection URL Format

Basic Connection Example


Connection Lifecycle

Connection Acknowledgment

Upon successful connection, the server sends a connection acknowledgment:

Heartbeat Management

Maintain connection health with periodic heartbeats:

Heartbeat Configuration


Reconnection Strategy

Exponential Backoff

Reconnection Delays


Message Queuing

Queue messages during disconnection for delivery upon reconnection:

Connection Recovery

State Synchronization

After reconnection, synchronize state with the server:

Recovery Response


Connection Limits

Per-User Limits

Handling Limit Exceeded


Graceful Disconnection

Client-Initiated Close

Close Codes


Best Practices

Do

  1. Generate unique client IDs - Prevents duplicate connection issues
  2. Implement heartbeats - Detect dead connections early
  3. Queue messages during disconnect - Prevent data loss
  4. Use exponential backoff - Avoid overwhelming server
  5. Handle all close codes - Respond appropriately to each scenario

Don’t

  1. Don’t reconnect immediately - Always use backoff
  2. Don’t ignore close codes - They contain important information
  3. Don’t skip heartbeats - Connection may silently die
  4. Don’t queue indefinitely - Set reasonable limits
  5. Don’t assume connection state - Always verify


Document Status: Complete Version: 2.0