February 2025 Summaries

Realtime features in apps are made possible by sharing changes triggered by one user to other users, often requiring a connection between the client and server where the server can notify the clients of new data. This connection can be achieved through various transports such as WebSockets, sse, event-streams, or polling. Two common patterns for achieving real-time updates are "Poke/Pull" and "Push state", with the latter being more suitable for complex state changes where the client needs to know what has changed. The server in these patterns can use operations or events to push the updated state to clients, which then merge those operations into their existing state. Additionally, transports like WebSockets are often used but can pose challenges when scaling horizontally across multiple servers, highlighting the need for Pub/Sub providers that handle WebSocket infra and fan-out for better coordination.

The concept of being a fan is evolving, with fans seeking more interactive and engaging experiences. However, delivering these experiences can be challenging due to the limitations of traditional pricing models, such as Monthly Average User (MAU) pricing. This model can lead to economic issues, including paying for unused capacity, becoming the victim of one's own success, and waste due to overpaying for infrastructure. A better approach is needed, one that aligns costs with actual fan behavior and charges customers only for what they actually use. Companies like Slack and Amazon have shown that true consumption-based pricing can be more sustainable and fairer. An alternative model, such as per-minute billing, can help reduce waste and optimize costs without compromising the fan experience. By focusing on fan-first pricing, paying only for what is used, success reducing costs, and smart cost management, companies can build engaging fan experiences without limits.

Fandom is now global, presenting an opportunity for growth but also increasing demands on the digital platform. To ensure reliability and scalability, Fandom must address challenges such as unpredictable traffic spikes, peak-driven design, non-linear scaling, low latency expectations, and global reach. A reliable fan experience requires a distributed system with architectures that minimize latency, guarantee data delivery and integrity, scale on demand, are resilient, and maintain consistency. Selecting the right protocol for persistent communication is also crucial, with WebSocket being a popular choice due to its universal availability and ease of implementation, but requiring additional engineering effort to meet reliability expectations. Building in-house can be challenging and time-consuming, while leveraging a reliable realtime fan experience solution like Ably provides flexibility, predictability, and room to innovate.