Why Is My WebSocket Disconnecting or Stopping Listening?

Written by Killiane Menand

Published on October 8, 20242 min read

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WebSocket disconnections or interruptions can happen for various reasons, and maintaining a stable connection is crucial for real-time data feeds like pending transactions or event updates. Here’s how you can handle WebSocket connection issues and ensure a more resilient setup.

Why Do WebSockets Disconnect?

WebSocket connections can be somewhat fragile, and disconnections may occur due to several factors:

• Network instability: Temporary issues with your internet connection or the server can cause WebSocket connections to drop.

• Idle timeouts: If a WebSocket connection remains inactive for too long, some servers or network layers may close the connection.

• Server overload: High traffic or server issues can lead to connection drops.

How to Handle WebSocket Disconnections

To deal with WebSocket disconnections and ensure your client maintains a stable connection, it’s important to implement retries. The easiest way to do this is by using the Alchemy SDK, which has retry logic built in. This ensures that your WebSocket connection is automatically re-established when it disconnects.

You can get started with the Alchemy SDK by following this guide: Alchemy SDK WebSockets Documentation.

Using the Alchemy SDK for Automatic Retries

The Alchemy SDK comes with built-in retry functionality that helps manage WebSocket disconnections. By using the SDK, you can automatically reconnect to your WebSocket and resume listening for events without needing to manually handle retries.

Key benefits of the SDK include:

• Automatic reconnection: When a WebSocket connection is dropped, the SDK automatically attempts to reconnect.

• Retry management: The SDK handles retry intervals, ensuring optimal reconnection times to reduce downtime.

WebSocket connections may disconnect due to network issues or idle timeouts, but by using the Alchemy SDK with built-in retry logic, you can ensure a more resilient connection. This will keep your application listening for real-time events even after temporary disconnections.