Server-Sent Events

Definitions

1. A simple HTTP-based protocol for one-way server-to-client streaming. The server sends text events over a long-lived HTTP connection using the text/event-stream content type. Supports automatic reconnection and event IDs for resuming. Simpler than WebSockets for push-only use cases like live feeds, notifications, and LLM token streaming.

   In plain English: A simple way for a server to push updates to a browser over a regular HTTP connection, without the complexity of WebSockets.

   Example: "Use SSE for the ChatGPT-style token streaming — it's simpler than WebSockets and you only need server-to-client anyway."

Related Terms

• Buffer
• Chunk
• Cookie
• Game Loop
• WebRTC
• Change Data Capture
• Operational Transform
• Long Polling
• Koa
• Route Middleware
• Short Polling
• Chunk Upload