What it is
A persistent connection between a browser or app and a server over which data flows both ways without new requests. Chats, live updates and some VPN tunnels need it.
How we use it
On the VPN route, the entry node in Russia proxies the VLESS WebSocket tunnel; a path without the Upgrade header answers 404, like a page that does not exist. A WS+TLS entry point is what the Windows 7 client uses.
Where it helps a business
- Data must arrive immediately without reloading the page: a chat, an order status, a live counter.
- VPN traffic needs to be hidden inside a connection that looks like an ordinary website.
How we use it
- A VPN tunnel. On the VPN route the entry nginx proxies the VLESS WebSocket tunnel. The tunnel path without an Upgrade header answers 404, like a page that does not exist.
- An entry point for old systems. The OshaVPN client for Windows 7 connects through a WS+TLS entry point on the sing-box engine.
Common problems
- A persistent connection gets noticed. The traffic domain carries a continuous WebSocket, which will be noticed sooner or later, so the traffic domain is kept separate from the subscription domain.
- The proxy has to let it through. Without the right nginx setup the connection breaks at the entrance.
When you do not need it
For an ordinary website, forms and orders, regular requests are enough. WebSocket is for data that flows continuously in both directions.