Wednesday, May 24th, 2006
Reverse Ajax with DWR
Category: Comet
, Java, Remoting
More and more, Ajax apps are using various techniques to keep content fresh in the browser. Essentially, we’re talking about reversing the usual communication flow- the server notices something’s happened, and wants to tell the browser about it. Server “calls” browser, not browser calls server.
The popular Java Ajax framework, DWR, recently released milestone 2 towards a 2.0 release, and introduced the term “Reverse Ajax” in the process, to capture this high-level pattern. This article (via Joe Walker) abstracts the communication details behind a clean API, so you can easily switch between three different implementations of Reverse Ajax:
1. Polling: This is where the browser makes a request of the server at regular and frequent intervals, say every 3 seconds to see if there has been an update to the page. To illustrate imagine a 5 year old (or a donkey) in the back of the car shouting ‘are we there yet?’ every few seconds and you get the picture.
2. Comet, long lived Http, or the slow load technique: Are all names for the same thing. As already mentioned, the server has to wait for the browser to make contact. But this technique allows the server to start answering the browser’s request for information very slowly. Extremely slowly. Actually in the same way I used to answer my French teachers at school, it starts the reply but never actually finishes. This allows the server to keep a communications channel open (unlike me and my French teacher) to pass down additional information when the time comes. The closest we currently get to a server push. See Alex Russell’s article for the coining of the phrase and outline of definition of Comet. See Bryce Nesbitt’s for a brief description and simple demo of slow-load.
3. PiggyBack Technique: Here the server, having an update to send, waits for the next time the browser asks it a question and… pounce, sends the answer and the update. This technique is well understood in long term relationships and is usually preceded by ‘and another thing.’ You know, you ask what you thought was a straight forward question and get a lot more than you bargained for.
Why not just use a socket connection? I’ve been using sockets for my “reverse AJAX” for awhile now. Flash, Java, maybe other plug-ins can do it. I use Flash because it’s available on most computer systems. It’s funny how things are going back to the MainFrame. I never figured out whey they changed in the first place.
[...] Reverse Ajax with DWR: “More and more, Ajax apps are using various techniques to keep content fresh in the browser. Essentially, we’re talking about reversing the usual communication flow- the server notices something’s happened, and wants to tell the browser about it. Server ‘calls’ browser, not browser calls server. [...]
are we there yet?
Totally agree with Phill, sockets which flash (esp. Flash 8) is easy, efficient and very fast. I’m not sure how this would scale, but luckely my apps will not attract many people :-) I use it in combination with Backbase and can send bxml from the server to the browser. At any time I can influence any browser that is open, move elements, execute javascript, popup layers, change text, etc.
Arnoud/Phill - how are you getting around firewall issues when using Flash sockets ? Are you connecting back to server on port 443 - which would normally be open ?
Sockets would be good as a further types of implementation for DWR. (One in Flash, another Java).
The sky is falling …
I heard socket and Flash in the same sentence. I know a lot of Flash “programmers”, and I don’t want them connecting to my computer. They have a tendancy to be less than through. I’m going to modify my Flash settings now … maybe stick up an extra firewall or two.
[...] Highlight: Reverse AJAX with DWR [...]
Nutz - We have a closed customer base. We just tell them to open the port to our server. Currently we are using Aflax as our Flash socket client. The only problems we’ve ran into is getting our customers to install Flash 8.
Sockets (other than over port 80) may not be allowed from within corparate intranets to the internet. HTTP is then the only resort. This was one of the reasons I developed Pushlets (www.pushlets.com). Pushlets can operate in 3 modes: pull, stream (comet) and poll. Note the difference between pull and poll: with pull the server holds the request until events are available or a timeout, but the request is returned and reissued (after a random configurable time). It is like fishing: wait for an event and catch. Dependent on the application a client may use either mode (or the server may force a particular mode). Through a client library (among them JavaScript with AJAX) this is transparent to the client (they just receive events). Also event routing is tackled: broadcast, multicast (topic subscription) or unicast.
Curious to know whether Aflax/Pushlets work well with Microsoft IIS web server and ASP - anyone using this sort of setup ?
Just my 2 cents on refreshing every x seconds:
if there is a listener stack, and Ajax web-parts could register itself to that listener, then the listener would resfresh the Ajax web-part.
Perhaps with external modifications on shared sources, the listener itslef would have to pull the server for changes, but that’s only 1 pull instead of each Ajax web-part pulling.
refershing after every x seconds might not be a good idea if application is heavy loaded and being used by several users at same time.
I wonder is it possible to make an update when a system is Idle? could it be implemented at client end?
complete example will do lot good
DWR is cool but I expected more efficient way of using the bandwidth. I am thinking to use this technology or technique in mobile application where the bandwidth and the connection is relatively expensive. I am not even sure about the ability to keep continuous connection with the server. Anyway, I will give it a try ;)
We are using ajax using DWR and calling an RMI server through our web server. But we feel the java script code and control we use are open to the workld. Does Reverse - ajax facilitate to encapsulate the Java script code in java itself or am i wrong in understanding. Is there any working model web site or litreture we can find to test the Reverse ajax concept using DWR.