Building a Real-Time Dashboard with Server-Sent Events
WebSockets aren't always the answer. Learn how Server-Sent Events provide a simpler, more reliable way to push real-time data to your dashboard.
WebSockets vs Server-Sent Events
WebSockets are bidirectional — great for chat apps. But most dashboards only need server-to-client updates. That's exactly what Server-Sent Events (SSE) provide, with less complexity.
Setting Up SSE in Next.js
Create a streaming API route that pushes data to the client.
Client-Side Consumption
Using the EventSource API for automatic reconnection and simple data consumption.
Tip
EventSource automatically reconnects on network failures — no manual retry logic needed.
Production Considerations
- Use a message broker (Redis pub/sub) for multi-instance deployments
- Set appropriate timeouts to prevent resource leaks
- Implement backpressure for high-frequency updates
Written by
Marcus Riveraeditor
Full-stack developer and open-source contributor. Writes about Node.js, databases, and system design. Core maintainer of several popular npm packages.
Comments (1)
SSE is so underrated! We replaced our WebSocket-based notifications with SSE and reduced our server complexity by 60%.
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