AI token streaming isn't about SSE vs. WebSockets
The article discusses the differences between Server-Sent Events (SSE) and WebSockets for AI token streaming. It argues that while both methods can be used, SSE is often the simpler and more effective choice for production environments. The author emphasizes the importance of a robust architecture that includes a token cache for handling reconnections and resuming streams.
- ▪SSE is generally simpler and better suited for most use cases compared to WebSockets.
- ▪The architecture for production token streaming involves separating prompt requests from response streams and utilizing a token cache.
- ▪WebSockets require more complexity in building and maintaining connections, which may not provide additional value in this context.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
May 21, 2026 · 8 min · #aiAI token streaming isn't about SSE vs WebSocketsIt's about what works in demos and what works in production, and how much you have to build and maintain.At Ably, we’ve solved production token streaming, so you don’t have to. And the hard-part isn’t SSE or WebSockets.Ask an agentic coding tool or chatbot “how to stream AI tokens to a client in production” and it’ll give you a section of the answer on SSE vs WebSockets. But that’s not the question, or really the answer.In a pure comparison of using SSE or WebSockets as the transport, SSE is the simpler choice, and is also the better choice for most usecases. The architecture you should build for production token streaming looks like the diagram below.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at /dev/knill.
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