𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝘀𝗵𝗯𝗼𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀
Most dashboards feel stale. Users see old data and must click refresh. You might use polling, but that hits your server too hard.
WebSockets solve this. The server pushes updates the moment they happen. No refreshing needed.
Here is how to build a real-time dashboard using Angular, RxJS, and Signals.
The Architecture
- Use RxJS webSocket for the connection.
- Use Angular Signals for the state.
- Use a single store to hold your data.
- The WebSocket Service
Do not open a new connection for every component. Use shareReplay in your service. This lets multiple widgets use one single connection.
Handle errors by catching them in the stream. This prevents your entire app from breaking when the connection drops.
- The Signal Store
Instead of components managing data, use a Signal-based store. This creates a single source of truth.
- Store metrics like CPU usage and active users.
- Keep a small history of recent alerts.
- Use computed signals to flag critical states.
- Pure Components
Your components should stay simple. They should not handle logic. They only read from the store and render the UI. This makes your code easy to test and maintain.
Key Tips for Production
- Connection Status: Always show users if they are live or reconnecting.
- Exponential Backoff: Do not retry connections every second. Use a delay that grows over time to protect your server.
- Security: Pass your auth tokens through query parameters or the first message.
WebSockets work best when you need two-way communication. If you only need to receive data, look at Server-Sent Events (SSE).
Stop making your users click refresh. Build something that stays live.
Have you built real-time features in Angular? Did you use WebSockets or polling?
Source: https://dev.to/rigole/building-real-time-dashboards-in-angular-with-websockets-a-complete-guide-10he