Real-time bidirectional communication requires WebSockets, but handling browser compatibility and reconnection logic manually is complex. With over 12 years of Node.js development experience since 2014 and as the creator of CoreUI, I’ve built numerous real-time features with Socket.IO. Socket.IO is a library that provides WebSocket functionality with automatic fallbacks, reconnection, and room-based broadcasting. This approach simplifies real-time communication compared to native WebSockets while adding powerful features like namespaces and middleware.