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Unlocking real-time capabilities in web applications with Symfony and Mercure
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TL;DR: There is a Demo Project at the end of this article
Real-time functionality is a must-have feature for modern web applications. Users expect seamless interactions and immediate updates, whether chatting with friends, tracking deliveries, or monitoring the stock market.
One popular way to implement real-time functionality in web applications is by using the Symfony PHP Framework and Mercure software.
In this article, I will delve into what Symfony and Mercure are, why they work well together, explore a few use cases where this integration shines, and provide a sample code to get you started.
What is Symfony?
Symfony is a leading PHP framework used for building web applications and APIs. It offers a structured and efficient approach to development by providing reusable components, best practices, and a developer-friendly environment.
Symfony is designed to be flexible and extensible, allowing you to build applications of any size and complexity. Its modular architecture lets developers choose the necessary components, speeding up the development process and promoting maintainability.
What is Mercure?
Mercure is a protocol and open-source software that enables real-time updates between the server and clients using the Publish-Subscribe pattern. It provides a simple and efficient way to push data updates to web browsers, mobile apps, and other services without requiring the clients to request the data continually.
Mercure creates a separate server called the Mercure hub, which manages and broadcasts updates to connected clients over an HTTP or HTTPS connection.
