Pattern 17 / COMMS

Server-Sent Events (SSE)

Use this when pushing server updates to browsers without full duplex complexity.

Pressure
Pushing server updates to browsers without full duplex complexity
Mechanism
Hold a long-lived http connection and stream one-way events from server to client
Toll
Server-to-client only and browser connection limits apply
Architecture plate17
Diagram for Server-Sent Events (SSE)
Executive brief

Server-Sent Events (SSE) fits when pushing server updates to browsers without full duplex complexity. Mechanism: hold a long-lived HTTP connection and stream one-way events from server to client. Use it for dashboards, activity feeds, alerts, ticker data, and progress updates. The toll: server-to-client only and browser connection limits apply.

Use when

Dashboards, activity feeds, alerts, ticker data, and progress updates.

Example

Admin dashboard receiving live build status events.

Review framing

Describe the pressure first, then the mechanism, then the cost. That keeps the design grounded.

Same pressure family

Communication Patterns

12Request-Response (Synchronous)13Message Queue (Asynchronous)14Publish-Subscribe (Pub/Sub)15Event-Driven Architecture16Webhooks18Bidirectional Streaming (WebSockets / gRPC Streaming)
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