Java Servlet Programming

Server Push

Up until now, every page returned by a servlet has been just that: a page. Always one page with one content type. But why think in such limited terms? Why not have a servlet return several pages, each with a different content type, all in response to the same request? It may be hard to imagine—and sound even harder to implement—but it’s actually quite easy using a technique known as server push.

It’s called server push because the server sends, or pushes, a sequence of response pages to the client. Compare this to the client pull technique discussed in the last chapter, where it’s left to the client to get, or pull, each page from the server. Although the results of each technique are similar to the end user—the appearance of a sequence of pages—the implementation details and the appropriate uses of the two techniques are quite different.

With server push, the socket connection between the client and the server remains open until the last page has been sent. This gives the server the ability to send page updates quickly and to control exactly when those updates are sent. As such, server push is ideal for pages that need frequent updates (such as rudimentary animations) or pages that need server-controlled but somewhat infrequent updates (such as live status updates). Note, however, that server push is not yet supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer, and extended use should be avoided, as it has been found to be harmful to the server’s available socket count.

With client ...