Edmonds Commerce - Laravel Real-Time Applications
Overview
Real-time Laravel apps with WebSockets, Laravel Echo, Pusher, and Reverb. Build collaborative applications with live updates, notifications, and instant data synchronisation.
What We Build
Real-time applications using Laravel. From live notifications and collaborative features to real-time dashboards and presence tracking—we build applications where users see updates instantly.
Real-Time Capabilities
WebSocket Architecture
Real-time communication between server and clients using WebSocket technology.
WebSocket Features:
- Bidirectional communication
- Low-latency updates
- Efficient bandwidth usage
- Automatic reconnection
- Fallback for older browsers
- Scalable architecture
Laravel Echo
Laravel's WebSocket broadcasting library for seamless real-time development.
Echo Features:
- Simple broadcasting API
- Channel-based communication
- Private and public channels
- Event broadcasting
- Automatic serialisation
- Vue.js integration
Pusher Integration
Third-party real-time service for reliable WebSocket delivery.
Pusher Advantages:
- Managed service (no infrastructure)
- Global edge network
- 99.99% uptime SLA
- Built-in debugging
- Mobile SDK support
- Scales automatically
Laravel Reverb
Self-hosted WebSocket server for Laravel applications.
Reverb Benefits:
- Self-hosted control
- No third-party dependencies
- Full customisation
- Cost-effective at scale
- Open-source foundation
Real-Time Use Cases
Live Notifications
Instant notifications delivered to users in real-time without page refresh.
Notification Examples:
- System alerts and announcements
- Message notifications
- Task completion notifications
- Comment replies
- Activity feeds
Collaborative Features
Multiple users working together with real-time synchronisation.
Collaborative Features:
- Simultaneous document editing
- Live cursor positions
- Collaborative whiteboards
- Shared state synchronisation
- Conflict resolution
- Change history
Live Dashboards
Real-time metrics and analytics that update instantly.
Dashboard Features:
- Live KPI updates
- Real-time charts
- Activity streams
- Status monitoring
- Performance metrics
- Event feeds
Presence Tracking
Track which users are online and active.
Presence Features:
- Online user lists
- Typing indicators
- Activity status
- Last seen timestamps
- User avatars and profiles
Chat Applications
Instant messaging with delivery confirmation and read receipts.
Chat Features:
- Real-time messages
- Delivery confirmation
- Read receipts
- User typing indicators
- Online status
- Message history
Technology Stack
- Laravel 11 with broadcasting
- Laravel Echo for client-side
- WebSockets for real-time communication
- Pusher or Laravel Reverb for infrastructure
- Redis for message queuing
- Vue.js or React for UI
- Node.js for WebSocket server (Reverb)
Broadcasting Channels
Public Channels
Broadcast to all connected users. Useful for system-wide notifications.
Use Cases:
- System announcements
- Public activity feeds
- Live scoreboards
- Global notifications
Private Channels
Broadcast to specific authenticated users. Ideal for personal notifications.
Use Cases:
- Personal messages
- Account notifications
- User-specific alerts
- Private channels
Presence Channels
Track which users are present in a channel. Enables collaboration features.
Use Cases:
- Collaborative editing
- Real-time presence
- Activity tracking
- User awareness
Real-Time Patterns
Optimistic Updates: Update UI immediately, validate with server afterwards.
Conflict Resolution: Handle simultaneous edits gracefully.
Connection Management: Automatic reconnection with exponential backoff.
Message Queuing: Reliable message delivery even with network interruptions.
Scaling: Handle thousands of concurrent WebSocket connections.
Performance Considerations
Bandwidth Efficiency: Minimise message size through compression and selective updates.
Server Scaling: Use Redis pub/sub for horizontal scaling across multiple servers.
Client Optimisation: Throttle updates, debounce client events to reduce server load.
Memory Management: Clean up closed connections and expired channels.
Monitoring: Track message throughput, latency, and connection health.
Our Real-Time Development Process
- Architecture Design: Choose between Pusher and Reverb based on requirements
- Channel Planning: Design broadcast channels for your use cases
- Event Implementation: Create Laravel events for real-time updates
- Client Development: Build responsive clients with Echo
- Scaling Strategy: Plan for horizontal scaling as load increases
- Monitoring: Implement monitoring and alerting
Target Audiences
Collaborative Platforms: Build tools where multiple users work together in real-time.
SaaS Dashboards: Real-time metrics and analytics for decision-making.
Chat Applications: Instant messaging platforms with modern features.
Multiplayer Games: Real-time synchronisation for game state.
Notification Platforms: Instant delivery of alerts and notifications.
Scaling Real-Time Applications
Single Server: Suitable for up to 1,000 concurrent connections. Use Redis for pub/sub.
Multiple Servers: Scale across multiple servers with Redis broadcasting backend.
Managed Service: Use Pusher for unlimited scaling without infrastructure management.
Global Scale: Deploy WebSocket servers globally with Pusher's edge network.
Related Services
API Development: RESTful APIs complement real-time features for full application stacks.
React Frontend: Modern React interfaces for real-time applications.
Kubernetes Infrastructure: Container orchestration for scaling real-time applications.
SaaS Solutions: Real-time features for collaborative SaaS platforms.
Contact
Based in the UK, serving global development teams. Discuss your real-time requirements, collaborative features, or notification strategy.