Transports and connections
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      1. Ably FAQs
      2. Ably architecture, transports, and security
      3. Transports and connections

      Which transports are supported?

      Caution: From v2 of the javascript library the behaviour described on this page has changed:

      See the v2 migration guide links below

      Our Javascript browser library will always choose the best transport available based on the browser and connection available.  The client library prioritises transports in this order:

      • WebSockets*
      • XHR streaming
      • XHR polling
      • JSONP polling
       When a browser client library first connects to Ably to establish a realtime connection:
      • By default the library initiates connection using an HTTP-based transport. It chooses the best available of those supported by the browser, in descending order of priority: xhr streaming, xhr polling, jsonp polling.
      • A WebSocket connection is then attempted, on those browsers that support it. When that connection succeeds, the library seamlessly migrates to the new connection.
      *Popular browsers support WebSockets in full since the versions listed on caniuse.com/websockets