Raw WebSockets for AI streaming: when patching stops paying off

Raw WebSockets provide efficient, bidirectional connections for AI streaming but do not inherently support session recovery, targeted cancellation, multi-device message delivery, or reliable detection of agent crashes. Building these capabilities requires shared persistent state, idempotent replay, run-level identifiers, authorization controls, connection registries, fan-out mechanisms, and agent lifecycle reporting; common production stresses such as deploy-driven reconnect storms, mobile handoffs, concurrent cancellations, and device switching can expose weaknesses in in-house implementations. The text argues that teams should distinguish isolated new failures, which may be ordinary bugs, from recurring failures under expected conditions, which may indicate an underlying infrastructure gap. It cites survey figures suggesting substantial development, maintenance, and outage costs for self-managed WebSocket infrastructure, alongside Intercom Fin’s move from its in-house realtime system to a managed platform. Ably presents its AI Transport as a managed layer that retains WebSockets or SSE while adding resumable delivery, run-specific cancellation, native multi-device synchronization, and presence-based agent status, though product-level user experience decisions remain the application’s responsibility.

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