explaingit

gorilla/websocket

Analysis updated 2026-06-21

★ 24,682GoAudience · developerComplexity · 2/5LicenseSetup · easy

TLDR

Gorilla WebSocket is a Go library for adding real-time two-way communication between a server and clients, used to build chat apps, live dashboards, and anything needing instant updates without page refreshes.

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((gorilla-ws))
    What it does
      WebSocket server
      WebSocket client
      Real-time messaging
    Key features
      Protocol compliant
      Autobahn tested
      Stable API
    Use cases
      Chat apps
      Live dashboards
      Collaborative tools
    Audience
      Go developers
Click or tap to explore — scroll the page freely

Code map

Detail Auto

An interactive map of this repo's files and how they connect — its source is parsed live in your browser. Click Visualize to build it.

filefunction / class

What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Build a real-time chat server in Go where messages appear instantly for all connected users.

USE CASE 2

Push live score, stock price, or sensor updates from a Go server to a web browser without reloading the page.

USE CASE 3

Add a collaborative editing feature where multiple users see each other's changes in real time.

USE CASE 4

Handle WebSocket connections on both the server and client sides within a single Go project.

What is it built with?

Go

How does it compare?

gorilla/websocketgo-delve/delveflipped-aurora/gin-vue-admin
Stars24,68224,72224,641
LanguageGoGoGo
Setup difficultyeasyeasymoderate
Complexity2/52/53/5
Audiencedeveloperdeveloperdeveloper

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · easy Time to first run · 5min
BSD 2-Clause, use freely for any purpose including commercial projects, with minimal restrictions.

In plain English

Gorilla WebSocket is a Go programming language library that implements the WebSocket protocol, a standard for keeping a persistent, two-way connection open between a web browser (or any client) and a server. Unlike normal HTTP requests that close after each response, a WebSocket connection stays open so both sides can send messages to each other at any time, without the client needing to repeatedly ask "any updates yet?" This matters for real-time applications: chat apps, live score feeds, collaborative editing tools, push notifications, and anything that needs instant updates rather than page refreshes. Without WebSockets, you would have to poll the server repeatedly, which is slower and wastes bandwidth. The Gorilla WebSocket package is described as fast, well-tested, and widely used within the Go ecosystem. It passes the industry-standard Autobahn Test Suite for protocol compliance, meaning it correctly implements the WebSocket specification. Go developers add it to their projects with a single command and use it to handle WebSocket connections on both the server side and the client side. It is part of the broader Gorilla web toolkit for Go. The API is stable, making it reliable for production use.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1
Show me a minimal Go server using gorilla/websocket that accepts connections and broadcasts each message to all connected clients.
Prompt 2
How do I add JWT authentication to a gorilla/websocket connection by validating a token during the HTTP upgrade handshake?
Prompt 3
Write a Go WebSocket server with gorilla/websocket that sends a JSON heartbeat to all clients every 30 seconds and cleanly handles disconnects.
Prompt 4
How do I write a gorilla/websocket client in Go that automatically reconnects with exponential backoff if the connection drops?
Prompt 5
How do I limit the message size and set read/write deadlines in gorilla/websocket to prevent slow or abusive connections from hanging my server?

Frequently asked questions

What is websocket?

Gorilla WebSocket is a Go library for adding real-time two-way communication between a server and clients, used to build chat apps, live dashboards, and anything needing instant updates without page refreshes.

What language is websocket written in?

Mainly Go. The stack also includes Go.

What license does websocket use?

BSD 2-Clause, use freely for any purpose including commercial projects, with minimal restrictions.

How hard is websocket to set up?

Setup difficulty is rated easy, with roughly 5min to a first successful run.

Who is websocket for?

Mainly developer.

Open on GitHub → Explain another repo

This repo across BitVibe Labs

Scan in gitsafehub Deploy in gitdeployhub gorilla on gitmyhub

Verify against the repo before relying on details.

Alternatives & similar repos