Real-Time Notifications in Laravel Using WebSockets

Problem-Solving

Developers often run into practical roadblocks when setting up real-time features. Here are the most common challenges explained in simple terms:

1. WebSocket Connection Refused
This typically happens when your frontend can’t establish a stable WebSocket connection with the backend server. You might see errors in the browser console, especially if the server isn’t running, or there’s a mismatch in the WebSocket port or security protocol.
2. Private Channels Not Receiving Events
Private channels require proper user authentication. If the frontend isn’t authenticated correctly or the user ID mismatches between the server and client, the events won’t be received—even if everything else seems configured properly.
3. Events Are Dispatched But Not Received on the Frontend
Sometimes, your event logic executes perfectly, but the frontend doesn’t get notified. This usually happens when the event isn’t configured to broadcast or is set to broadcast on the wrong channel.

4. Echo Works Locally But Fails in Production
Real-time features might work fine on a local machine, but stop working after deployment. This is often related to secure WebSocket requirements (wss://), SSL certificate issues, or blocked ports in the production environment.
5. Notifications Arrive with Delay or Not at All
When using queues, events might be delayed if the background worker isn’t running or is overwhelmed. Real-time feels “laggy” if the jobs are not processed immediately, which can break user expectations for instant updates.

Overcoming Challenges

Beyond basic setup, production-grade WebSocket systems require proactive solutions to avoid downtime, bugs, and inefficiencies.

1. Securing WebSocket Connections
WebSocket connections remain open and can be abused.

Solution:

• Always use private or presence channels.
• Use HTTPS with wss:// to encrypt traffic.
• Validate user identity through Laravel’s built-in authorisation.

2. Scaling Beyond a Single Server
Each WebSocket connection uses server resources. Scaling to thousands of users’ demands strategy.

Solution:

• Use Redis + broadcasting for horizontal scaling.
• Deploy multiple websockets: serve workers.
• Load balance with NGINX or HAProxy.

3. Background Job Failures
If job queues go down, notifications stop silently.

Solution:

• Use a supervisor to keep workers alive.
• Implement retries and failed job alerts.
• Use Laravel Horizon for visibility.

Scalability & Performance Best Practices

Scaling real-time notifications is more complex than regular HTTP apps. WebSocket connections are persistent and stateful, requiring different architectural considerations.

1. Choose the Right Broadcast Driver

• Use Redis in production for real-time performance.
• Avoid the sync driver as it blocks execution.

2. Optimise Event Payloads

• Keep data minimal in broadcastWith().
• Avoid eager-loading entire models.

3. Monitor Everything

• Use Laravel Horizon for queues.
• Use /laravel-websockets dashboard to inspect active connections.
• Monitor CPU and memory usage.

4. Use a Load Balancer

• Place NGINX or HAProxy in front of WebSocket servers.
• Ensure sticky sessions if using presence channels.

5. Auto-Restart WebSocket Workers

• Use supervisor or pm2 to restart failed processes.
• Log crash outputs for post-mortem.