Do websockets allow for p2p (browser to browser) communication?

javascript ajax websocket p2p
Xavier picture Xavier · Nov 7, 2010 · Viewed 49.1k times · Source

To clarify when I ask about browser to browser communication I mean without a server in between forwarding message. I would like to implement something like this for a game. If p2p in websockets isn't possible are there similar alternatives? Any help is appreciated.

Answer

kanaka picture kanaka · Nov 7, 2010

No. Browsers can only initiate WebSockets connections, not receive them. The W3C browser API spec only defines how to start an outbound connection.

You can make an application that would both initiate and accept WebSockets connections, but browsers do not do this.

You might look at Pusher App which you could use to build a WebSockets application with multiple clients. The service provides up to 20 simultaneous WebSockets clients for free (you can pay for higher scaling).

Update:

The WebRTC protocol and API is making rapid progress and allows a Data Channel to be established between two peers (you still may need a STUN/TURN server for the initial NAT traversal and setup).

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