SignalR

SignalR
Original author(s)	David Fowler and Damian Edwards
Developer(s)	Microsoft
Initial release	February 18, 2013; 11 years ago
Stable release	2.4.3 / January 14, 2022; 2 years ago
Repository	github.com/dotnet/aspnetcore/tree/main/src/SignalR ;
Written in	C#
Operating system	Microsoft Windows
Platform	.NET Framework,; .NET
Type	Event-driven networking
License	Apache License 2.0
Website	dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/apps/aspnet/signalr

SignalR is a free and open-source software library for Microsoft ASP.NET that allows server code to send asynchronous notifications to client-side web applications. The library includes server-side and client-side JavaScript components.

Details

ASP.NET SignalR is a library for ASP.NET developers to add real-time web functionality to their applications. Real-time web functionality is the ability to have server-side code push content to the connected clients as it happens, in real-time.^[1]

SignalR takes advantage of several transports, automatically selecting the best available transport given the client's and server's capabilities. SignalR takes advantage of WebSocket, an HTML5 API that enables bi-directional communication between the browser and server. SignalR will use WebSockets under the covers when it's available, and gracefully fall back to other techniques and technologies when it isn't, while the application code remains the same.^[2]^[3]

SignalR also provides a simple, high-level API for doing server-to-client RPC (call JavaScript functions in a client's browser from server-side .NET code) in an ASP.NET application, as well as adding useful hooks for management, such as connect/disconnect events, grouping connections, authorization.

Use Cases Of SignalR

Chat Applications:

SignalR is a leader in chat application development with instant messaging capabilities.
It allows rich messaging applications where users can create rooms or groups and get messages in real time without having to refresh their internet browser.
This is crucial for applications that need group chats, private messaging, and handling a high number of concurrent users.

Real-time Dashboards:

SignalR’s real time data push capabilities are especially helpful for dashboards that show live data updates, like stock trading platforms, weather apps or sports scores.
It allows the server to push updates to the dashboard when new data becomes available, enabling users to constantly have the up to date info without refreshing manually.
This is crucial for decision making in dynamic environments where data changes rapidly.

Online Gaming:

In online gaming, SignalR can be used to map game state between players to ensure that all players see the same game world.
It enables the creation of real time, multiplayer games through rapid and secure server-client interaction.
This synchronization is crucial for competitive and cooperative gaming where latency or game state discrepancies can have a large effect on gameplay.

Collaborative Editing:

SignalR supports the development of applications where several users can edit documents or projects at the same time.
SignalR facilitates collaborative work by making changes made by one user visible to all other users working on the document at the same time.
This is especially crucial in academic, creative, and professional settings where teamwork and collaboration is crucial to productivity.

References

^ Gustavo Armenta Valdez (December 17, 2012). "SignalR: Building real time web applications". Microsoft MSDN.
^ Daniel Mohl (December 28, 2012). Building Web, Cloud, and Mobile Solutions With F#. O'Reilly Media, Inc. pp. 105–. ISBN 978-1-4493-3376-8. Retrieved February 4, 2013.
^ Alex Mackey; William Stewart Tulloch; Mahesh Krishnan (October 10, 2012). Introducing .NET 4.5. Apress. pp. 143–. ISBN 978-1-4302-4332-8. Retrieved February 4, 2013.