Server push with instant messaging

Abstract

Server Push is an essential part of modern web applications. With the ability of sending relevant information to users in reaction to new events, enables highly interactive applications on the WWW. User interfaces of desktop applications have had a two-way communication with an underlying software since their advent, but web applications are reaching the same state only now. In addition, currently, the push is usually emulated using the pull technology, since, with the HTTP protocol alone, it is not possible to realize a real push. This paper evaluates how an instant messaging protocol, namely XMPP, can complement HTTP-based web applications. We present a communication paradigm of a push system and an implementation of it. To evaluate the implementation, a use case is designed and realized with the system.