WebSockets & Real-Time Communication

What's the purpose of the WebSocket heartbeat mechanism?

function setupHeartbeat(ws) {
    const pingInterval = setInterval(() => {
        if (ws.readyState === WebSocket.OPEN) {
            ws.send('ping');
        }
    }, 30000);

    ws.onmessage = (event) => {
        if (event.data === 'pong') {
            console.log('Connection alive');
        }
    };

    ws.onclose = () => clearInterval(pingInterval);
}

To measure connection speed
To compress data
To detect connection status and prevent timeouts
The WebSocket heartbeat mechanism serves several crucial purposes: 1) Detects connection failures or interruptions quickly, 2) Prevents proxy/firewall timeouts by keeping the connection active, 3) Helps in maintaining connection state awareness, 4) Enables quick recovery from network issues. The code demonstrates implementing a heartbeat using ping/pong messages every 30 seconds, with proper cleanup on connection close.
To synchronize client and server clocks

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