Overview

This is a WebSocket, or really, it is an array of WebSockets that acts as one websocket that provides client side failover and reconnection. The idea is you use this from single page applications with worldwide deployment of WebSocket servers to get the best performance and geographic failover.

You can also use it server to server. We ♥ you.

Use It

It works like, and has the events of, a WebSocket. One exception, you connect to an array of host names.

A fun way to test this is with our buddy program, which sets up a totally unreliable websocket that randomly closes on clients to simulate disconnection:

npm install -g the-waffler
waffler 8000 &
waffler 8001 &

var HuntingWebSocket = require('hunting-websocket');
var socket = new HuntingWebSocket([
  'ws://localhost:8000',
  'ws://localhost:8001']);

socket.onopen = function(evt) {
  //called on the first open, and only once
}

socket.onserver = function(evt) {
  //called any time the socket server has changed, either from a
  //failover or a reconnect
  //evt.server
}

socket.onerror = function(err) {
  //badness detected!
}

socket.onmessage = function(evt) {
  //message in evt.data
}

socket.onclose = function(evt) {
  //by-bye, called on if you really call .close()
}

socket.send('hi');
socket.send('mom');

socket.close()

Browserify!

This package is set up to use with browserify from npm, though it is fundamentally designed to be client side.