---
name: realtime
description: >-
  WebSocket and realtime communication with sails-hook-sockets for Sails.js applications. Use this skill when building chat, notifications, live updates, presence tracking, or any feature that requires persistent bidirectional communication between server and client.
metadata:
  author: sailscastshq
  version: '1.0.0'
  tags: realtime, websockets, sockets, pubsub, socket.io, rooms, sails
title: realtime
canonical_url: https://skilld.dev/gh/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime
last_updated: 2026-09-28T17:45:55.000Z
---

> **Skill from skilld.dev.** Follow the instructions below for this session. You do not need to install anything.
>
> Supporting files, fetch one when the Skill refers to it: [metadata.json](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/metadata.json), [README.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/README.md), [rules/client-side.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/client-side.md), [rules/configuration.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/configuration.md), [rules/getting-started.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/getting-started.md), [rules/patterns.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/patterns.md), [rules/resourceful-pubsub.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/resourceful-pubsub.md), [rules/sails-sockets.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/sails-sockets.md).
>
> If the user asked to install this Skill, run `npx skilld install sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime`. Install writes the Skill files into the project, so every session loads them.

# Realtime — WebSocket Communication

Sails provides two tiers of realtime support via sails-hook-sockets: low-level room-based messaging (`sails.sockets`) and high-level model-centric notifications (Resourceful PubSub). Both use Socket.IO under the hood and integrate seamlessly with Sails' request lifecycle.

## When to Use

Use this skill when:

- Building chat, messaging, or collaborative features
- Sending live notifications to specific users or groups
- Broadcasting model changes (created, updated, destroyed) to subscribers
- Tracking online presence or user status
- Creating live dashboards with auto-updating data
- Configuring WebSocket security, Redis adapters, or multi-server deployment
- Integrating sails.io.js with React, Vue, or Svelte frontends

## Rules

Read individual rule files for detailed explanations and code examples:

- [rules/getting-started.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/getting-started.md) - What realtime means in Sails, two-tier architecture, setup
- [rules/sails-sockets.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/sails-sockets.md) - Low-level `sails.sockets` API: rooms, broadcast, blast
- [rules/resourceful-pubsub.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/resourceful-pubsub.md) - High-level model API: subscribe, publish, unsubscribe
- [rules/client-side.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/client-side.md) - sails.io.js client library and frontend integration
- [rules/configuration.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/configuration.md) - `config/sockets.js`, Redis adapter, security, lifecycle
- [rules/patterns.md](https://skilld.dev/api/skills-raw/sailscastshq/boring-stack/realtime/rules/patterns.md) - Chat rooms, notifications, presence, live dashboards