building-websocket-server

name	building-websocket-server
description	Build scalable WebSocket servers for real-time bidirectional communication. Use when enabling real-time bidirectional communication. Trigger with phrases like "build WebSocket server", "add real-time API", or "implement WebSocket".
allowed-tools	Read, Write, Edit, Grep, Glob, Bash(api:websocket-*)
version	1.0.0
author	Jeremy Longshore <[e-mail]>
license	MIT
compatible-with	claude-code, codex, openclaw
tags	["api","scaling","websocket-server"]

Building WebSocket Server

Overview

Build scalable WebSocket servers for real-time bidirectional communication using the ws library, Socket.IO, or native framework WebSocket support. Handle connection lifecycle management, room/channel subscriptions, message broadcasting, heartbeat keepalive, and horizontal scaling with Redis pub/sub adapters.

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ with ws or socket.io, or Python 3.10+ with websockets or FastAPI WebSocket, or Go with gorilla/websocket
• Redis for horizontal scaling with pub/sub adapter (Socket.IO Redis adapter, or manual pub/sub)
• Load balancer configured for WebSocket upgrade (sticky sessions or proper Upgrade header forwarding)
• JWT or session-based authentication for connection handshake
• Monitoring for active connection counts and message throughput

Instructions

1. Examine existing HTTP server configuration using Read and Grep to determine the framework and identify where WebSocket upgrade handling integrates.
2. Create a WebSocket server instance attached to the existing HTTP server, configuring the upgrade path (e.g., /ws, /socket.io) and allowed origins.
3. Implement connection authentication by validating JWT tokens or session cookies during the WebSocket handshake upgrade event, rejecting unauthorized connections before protocol switch.
4. Build a connection registry that tracks active clients with metadata (user ID, subscribed channels, connection time) for targeted message delivery.
5. Define a message protocol using JSON envelopes with type, channel, payload, and correlationId fields for structured bidirectional communication.
6. Implement room/channel subscription logic allowing clients to join and leave named channels with server-side membership tracking.
7. Add heartbeat ping/pong mechanism with configurable interval (default 30s) and timeout detection to clean up stale connections.
8. Configure Redis pub/sub adapter for horizontal scaling so messages broadcast from any server instance reach all connected clients across the cluster.
9. Write connection lifecycle tests covering connect, authenticate, subscribe, message exchange, reconnect, and graceful disconnect scenarios.

See ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/references/implementation.md for the full implementation guide.

Output

• - WebSocket server setup and upgrade handling