Keep WebSockets Alive in Browsers: A Production-Ready Ping/Pong Solution

Ever wondered why your WebSocket connections drop mysteriously in browsers while working much better on mobile? Let’s dive into the fascinating world of WebSocket connection maintenance and learn how to build a bulletproof solution that keeps your real-time applications running smoothly.

The Mobile vs. Browser Divide

Mobile platforms (Android and iOS) come with a secret weapon: built-in TCP keepalive support at the socket level. Browsers? They’re not so lucky. Let’s explore this disparity and see how we can level the playing field.

The Mobile Advantage

Mobile platforms like Android and iOS have a significant advantage when it comes to WebSocket connection maintenance. These platforms support TCP keepalive at the socket level, which allows for efficient connection monitoring without additional application-layer implementation.

Android Implementation

On Android, developers can enable TCP keepalive through the socket options:

Socket socket = new Socket();
socket.setKeepAlive(true);
socket.setKeepAliveInterval(30); // seconds

iOS Implementation