I already talked about realtime data streaming using server sent events and how it differs from websockets here Realtime data streaming and in this guide, I'm going to expatiate more on that and demonstrate how to build a realtime sport leaderboard application using server sent events, nextjs app router and nodejs.
Indepth Article on Codesermon
If you're curious about real-time communication in web applications, it's essential to understand the differences and use cases of Server-Sent Events (SSE) and WebSockets. Both technologies enable real-time data transfer between the server and client, but they operate in different ways and are suited for different scenarios. Read more on Server sent events vs Websockets
Server-Sent Events (SSE) is a simpler, more efficient solution for one-way communication from the server to the client, perfect for use cases like live notifications, real-time updates, and streaming events—like in our sports voting app. On the other hand, WebSockets provide full-duplex communication, making them ideal for scenarios where both the client and server need to exchange data continuously, such as in live chats or multiplayer games.
To dive deeper into these two technologies and learn when to use each, check out this detailed article comparing Server-Sent Events (SSE) and WebSockets. You'll discover key differences, performance considerations, and real-world use cases for both technologies.
Building realtime sports voting app
In this detailed tutorial, you’ll learn how to build and deploy a real-time sports voting app using Next.js, Node.js, TypeScript, and Server-Sent Events (SSE). This app allows users to vote on sports events in real time, with live updates streamed seamlessly from the Node.js backend to the Next.js frontend. We'll guide you through each step, from setting up the development environment to deploying the app on Vercel and Google Cloud App Engine.
What you'll learn in this tutorial:
- Setting up a Next.js app using TypeScript and the Next.js App Router for efficient routing and modern app structure.
- Building a Node.js backend that serves voting data, handles business logic, and streams real-time updates to the frontend.
- How to establish a connection between Node.js and the client using SSE (Server-Sent Events), enabling real-time communication without WebSockets.
- Learn how to create a single SSE context in ReactJS, so you can manage and consume streaming data across the entire app efficiently using React Context API.
- How to configure CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) on the Node.js server to allow only trusted origins to connect, ensuring security while enabling real-time updates.
- Deploying your app on Vercel (for frontend) and Google Cloud App Engine (for the Node.js backend), making your app scalable, secure, and production-ready.
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll have a fully functional, real-time voting app that streams live events from the server to the client, all hosted on Vercel and Google Cloud, ready for production.
Key concepts covered in this video:
- SSE (Server-Sent Events) for real-time data streaming.
- React Context to manage real-time events globally across the app.
- CORS Configuration to secure the server connection to trusted domains.
- Deploying with Vercel and Google Cloud for robust, scalable hosting.
Project source code and indepth tutorial
You can find the project source code here together with step by step explanation of our realtime sport voting app using server sent events, nextjs app router, express and nodejs here 👉 Read the full article here to gain a better understanding of real-time project to implement in your next project!
SSE Video Tutorial
If you're looking to build a real-time web app with live updates, check out my latest YouTube tutorial! Learn how to create a sports voting app using Express.js, Next.js, Node.js, TypeScript, and Server-Sent Events (SSE). I’ll guide you through every step, from setting up the environment to deploying your app on Vercel and Google Cloud. This is a great way to learn real-time communication and cloud deployment. Don’t miss out—watch the full tutorial now!
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Top comments (1)
Wow, this is such a well-detailed guide! SSE is definitely a game-changer for real-time data streaming, especially for use cases like this sports voting app. For those exploring scalable hosting options, Cloudways is also worth considering, especially if you're looking for flexibility with managed cloud hosting. Alongside Vercel and Google Cloud, it's great to have a range of platforms to match your app's needs!