Research and Development of Real-time Pushing System based on HTTP Long Polling

The usual HTTP protocol is request/response mode, in which the browser/client actively fetches information or status from server. However, it’s difficult for the server to actively push information to the browser/client using this request/response mode. There are a large number of scenarios in state grid corporation of China that require pushing messages to users, including business alarms, collaborative office work, and realtime control of intelligent terminals. In order to meet the need for real-time pushing, it is necessary to build a unified pushing infrastructure to ensure that information can be pushed to users in real time, and to be able to support multiple different access terminals such as web and app simultaneously. HTTP Long Polling is a lightweight pushing solution strategy when compared with other techniques. This article builds a real-time pushing system based on HTTP Long Polling, which systematically meets the pushing requirements of the business.