WebSocket
Ably’s native protocol is WebSocket-based. It offers the right balance between performance, portability, and reliability.
There is rarely a one-size-fits-all protocol: different protocols serve different purposes better than others. We support multiple open protocols so you can develop in the direction that’s right for your needs.
Ably handles all the background work of ensuring interoperability at the protocol level so you can easily use multiple protocols within your application.
Want more detail on how to use different protocols with Ably?
Read the docsWe've taken an existing game of Pong and created five instances of it, each using a different realtime backend, Ably, Pusher over Ably, PubNub over Ably, Pusher direct and PubNub direct. Judge for yourself how well the adapters work.
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