wse
v4.7.15
Published
Suspicious wrapper for websocket with auth and custom protocol support.
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WSE (WebSocket Enhancement)
A WebSocket wrapper focused on managing authenticated users across multiple devices. WSE makes it easy to:
- Handle multiple connections from the same user (e.g., mobile + desktop)
- Implement authentication with built-in Challenge-Response system
- Create custom WebSocket protocols with minimal boilerplate
- Manage client identity and state across reconnections
Installation
npm install wse
Quick Start
Server Setup
import { WseServer } from 'wse'
// Authentication handler
function identify({ identity, meta, accept, refuse }) {
// Simple auth example
if (identity === 'your-secret-key') {
const clientId = 'user-123'
accept(clientId, { message: 'Welcome!' })
} else {
refuse()
}
}
// Create server instance
const server = new WseServer({
port: 4200,
identify,
connPerUser: 2 // Allow 2 connections per user
})
// Handle incoming messages
server.channel.on('hello', (conn, data) => {
console.log(`Message from ${conn.cid}:`, data)
conn.send('welcome', { message: 'Hello back!' })
})
// Broadcast to all connected clients
server.broadcast('announcement', { message: 'Server is ready!' })
// Register Remote Procedure
server.register('add', async (conn, { a, b }) => {
return a + b
})
// Handle events
server.when.joined((client, meta) => {
console.log(`Client ${client.cid} joined with meta:`, meta)
})
server.when.error((error, conn) => {
console.error(`Error from ${conn?.cid}:`, error)
})
Client Setup
import { WseClient, WSE_ERROR } from 'wse'
const client = new WseClient({
url: 'ws://localhost:4200',
tO: 30, // 30 seconds timeout for RPC calls
re: true // Enable auto-reconnect
})
// Connect with authentication
try {
const welcomeData = await client.connect('your-secret-key', {
clientData: 'optional metadata'
})
console.log('Connected with welcome data:', welcomeData)
} catch (error) {
console.error('Connection failed:', error)
}
// Listen for server messages
client.channel.on('welcome', (data) => {
console.log('Server says:', data.message)
})
// Send messages
client.send('hello', { message: 'Hello server!' })
// Make RPC calls
try {
const result = await client.call('add', { a: 5, b: 3 })
console.log('5 + 3 =', result) // Output: 8
} catch (error) {
if (error.code === WSE_ERROR.RP_TIMEOUT) {
console.error('RPC call timed out')
} else if (error.code === WSE_ERROR.RP_NOT_REGISTERED) {
console.error('RPC not found on server')
} else {
console.error('RPC failed:', error)
}
}
// Handle connection events
client.when.ready((welcomeData) => {
console.log('Connected and authenticated!', welcomeData)
})
client.when.error((error) => {
console.error('Connection error:', error)
})
client.when.closed((code, reason) => {
console.log(`Connection closed: ${code} - ${reason}`)
})
Advanced Features
Challenge-Response Authentication (CRA)
Challenge-Response Authentication provides a secure way to authenticate clients without sending passwords directly. Here's how it works:
- Client initiates connection with identity info
- Server generates a unique challenge
- Client receives challenge and computes response using a secret
- Server validates the response
- If valid, connection is authenticated
Example implementation:
// Server setup
server.useChallenge((identity, meta, quest, refuse) => {
// Generate a unique challenge
const challenge = {
timestamp: Date.now(),
nonce: crypto.randomBytes(16).toString('hex')
}
if (!isValidUser(identity)) {
refuse()
return
}
quest(challenge)
})
// Server identity handler
function identify({ identity, meta, challenge, accept, refuse }) {
if (!challenge) {
refuse()
return
}
const { quest, response } = challenge
// Validate response
const expectedResponse = crypto
.createHmac('sha256', getClientSecret(identity))
.update(quest.timestamp + quest.nonce)
.digest('hex')
if (response === expectedResponse) {
accept(identity, { message: 'Welcome!' })
} else {
refuse()
}
}
// Client setup
client.challenge((quest, solve) => {
// Compute response using HMAC
const response = crypto
.createHmac('sha256', CLIENT_SECRET)
.update(quest.timestamp + quest.nonce)
.digest('hex')
solve(response)
})
Integration with Existing HTTP Servers
Express Integration
import express from 'express'
import { createServer } from 'http'
import { WseServer, WSE_ERROR } from 'wse'
const app = express()
const httpServer = createServer(app)
// Create WSE server with noServer option
const wseServer = new WseServer({
noServer: true, // Important: let Express handle the HTTP server
identify: yourIdentifyHandler
})
// Handle HTTP routes
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
res.send('Express server with WSE')
})
// Handle WebSocket upgrade
httpServer.on('upgrade', (request, socket, head) => {
// You can filter by path or add custom validation
if (request.url === '/ws') {
try {
wseServer.ws.handleUpgrade(request, socket, head, (ws) => {
wseServer.ws.emit('connection', ws, request)
})
} catch (error) {
console.error('Upgrade failed:', error)
socket.destroy()
}
} else {
socket.destroy()
}
})
// Error handling
wseServer.when.error((error, conn) => {
console.error(`WebSocket error: ${error.code}`, error.details)
if (conn) {
conn.send('error', { message: 'Internal server error' })
}
})
// Start server
httpServer.listen(3000, () => {
console.log('Server running on port 3000')
})
Fastify Integration
import Fastify from 'fastify'
import { WseServer, WSE_ERROR } from 'wse'
const fastify = Fastify()
const wseServer = new WseServer({
noServer: true,
identify: yourIdentifyHandler
})
// Handle HTTP routes
fastify.get('/', async (request, reply) => {
return { hello: 'world' }
})
// Handle WebSocket upgrade
fastify.server.on('upgrade', (request, socket, head) => {
if (request.url === '/ws') {
try {
wseServer.ws.handleUpgrade(request, socket, head, (ws) => {
wseServer.ws.emit('connection', ws, request)
})
} catch (error) {
console.error('Upgrade failed:', error)
socket.destroy()
}
} else {
socket.destroy()
}
})
// Error handling
wseServer.when.error((error, conn) => {
console.error(`WebSocket error: ${error.code}`, error.details)
})
// Start server
fastify.listen({ port: 3000 }, (err) => {
if (err) throw err
console.log('Server running on port 3000')
})
Custom Protocol
class CustomProtocol {
constructor() {
// Protocol name used in WebSocket handshake
this.name = 'custom-protocol'
// Required internal message types
this.internal_types = Object.freeze({
hi: '~wse:hi', // Initial client greeting
challenge: '~wse:challenge', // CRA challenge/response
welcome: '~wse:welcome', // Server welcome after auth
call: '~wse:call', // RPC marker
})
}
// Pack message into [type, payload, stamp] format
pack({ type, payload = undefined, stamp = undefined }) {
return JSON.stringify([type, payload, stamp])
}
// Unpack message, returns [type, payload, stamp]
unpack(encoded) {
return JSON.parse(encoded)
}
}
// Use custom protocol in server
const server = new WseServer({
port: 4200,
identify,
protocol: new CustomProtocol()
})
// Use same protocol in client
const client = new WseClient({
url: 'ws://localhost:4200',
protocol: new CustomProtocol()
})
Error Handling
WSE provides specific error types for different scenarios:
import { WseClient, WSE_ERROR, WSE_REASON } from 'wse'
// Client-side error handling
client.when.error((error) => {
switch (error.code) {
case WSE_ERROR.CONNECTION_NOT_READY:
console.error('Connection not established')
break
case WSE_ERROR.RP_TIMEOUT:
console.error('Remote procedure call timed out')
break
case WSE_ERROR.RP_NOT_REGISTERED:
console.error('Remote procedure not found')
break
case WSE_ERROR.RP_EXECUTION_FAILED:
console.error('Remote procedure failed:', error.details)
break
case WSE_ERROR.WS_CLIENT_ERROR:
console.error('WebSocket error:', error.details)
break
}
})
// Server-side error handling
server.when.error((error, conn) => {
switch (error.code) {
case WSE_ERROR.MESSAGE_PROCESSING_ERROR:
console.error(`Invalid message from ${conn.cid}:`, error.details)
break
case WSE_ERROR.PROTOCOL_VIOLATION:
console.error(`Protocol violation from ${conn.cid}:`, error.details)
break
case WSE_ERROR.CONNECTION_ERROR:
console.error('WebSocket connection error:', error.details)
break
case WSE_ERROR.RP_EXECUTION_FAILED:
console.error('RPC execution failed:', error.details)
break
}
})
// Connection closure handling
client.when.closed((code, reason) => {
switch (reason) {
case WSE_REASON.NOT_AUTHORIZED:
console.log('Authentication failed')
break
case WSE_REASON.PROTOCOL_ERR:
console.log('Protocol error')
break
case WSE_REASON.CLIENTS_CONCURRENCY:
console.log('Too many connections')
break
case WSE_REASON.BY_CLIENT:
console.log('Client closed connection')
break
case WSE_REASON.BY_SERVER:
console.log('Server closed connection')
break
}
})
Performance Optimization
wse
uses ws
under the hood, which supports optional binary addons for better performance:
# Efficient frame masking/unmasking
npm install --save-optional bufferutil
# Fast UTF-8 validation
npm install --save-optional utf-8-validate
Broadcasting Messages
WSE provides several ways to broadcast messages:
// Send to ALL connected clients
server.broadcast('announcement', { message: 'Server maintenance in 5 minutes' })
// Send to specific client (all their connections)
server.send(clientId, 'personal-message', { message: 'Just for you' })
// Send to current connection only
connection.send('connection-specific', { message: 'Just for this device' })
// Example: Broadcast to everyone except sender
server.channel.on('chat-message', (conn, message) => {
for (const client of server.clients.values()) {
if (client.cid !== conn.cid) {
client.send('chat-message', message)
}
}
})
// Example: Handle broadcast messages on client
client.channel.on('announcement', (payload) => {
console.log('Server announcement:', payload.message)
})
Multi-Device Messaging
When a user is connected from multiple devices (controlled by connPerUser
):
// Server setup
const server = new WseServer({
identify,
connPerUser: 2 // Allow 2 connections per user
})
// Send to ALL connections of a specific user
server.send(userId, 'sync-data', { updated: true })
// Send to SPECIFIC connection only
server.channel.on('device-settings', (conn, settings) => {
// conn.send() only sends to that specific connection
conn.send('settings-updated', { confirmed: true })
})
// Track connections per user
server.when.connected((conn) => {
console.log(`New connection for user ${conn.cid}`)
console.log(`Total connections: ${server.clients.get(conn.cid).conns.size}`)
})
These modules are binary addons that improve certain operations. Read more about performance optimization in the ws documentation.
API Documentation
🚧 Documentation is in progress
For now, please refer to:
- Code examples in this README
- JSDoc comments in the source code
- Test files for more usage examples
Wiki and detailed API documentation are coming soon!
License
MIT License - feel free to use this project commercially.
With love ❤️ from Ukraine 🇺🇦