Configuring and Using WebSocket Connections on VPS or Dedicated Servers
WebSockets allow persistent, two-way communication between a browser and server over a single TCP socket, enabling real-time, responsive web applications.
Note: WebSockets are not supported on shared or reseller hosting accounts.
Supported Hosting Plans
-
Managed or unmanaged VPS
-
Dedicated servers
Step 1: Web Server Configuration
Without Root Access
Open a support ticket at Hosting.com with:
-
Domain/URL for WebSocket proxy
-
Port number of your WebSocket server
With Root Access
You can configure your web server directly:
-
Apache: mod_proxy_wstunnel documentation
-
Nginx: WebSocket documentation
-
Other web servers: refer to their respective documentation
Step 2: WebSocket Server Application
Python Server Example
-
Ensure Python ≥3.9 is installed.
-
Create a virtual environment and install the
websocketslibrary:
ssh user@server
python3 -m venv websocketenv
cd websocketenv
source bin/activate
pip install websockets-
Create
server.pywith the following content:
#!/usr/bin/env python
import asyncio
from websockets.asyncio.server import serve
async def echo(websocket):
async for message in websocket:
print('Received [' + message + ']')
await websocket.send(message)
async def main():
async with serve(echo, "localhost", 5678) as server:
await server.serve_forever()
if __name__ == "__main__":
asyncio.run(main())-
Start the server:
python3 server.pyNode.js Server Example
-
Ensure Node.js ≥16 is installed.
-
Install the
wslibrary:
ssh user@server
npm install ws
Create server.mjs:
import { WebSocketServer } from 'ws';
const wss = new WebSocketServer({ port: 5678 });
wss.on('connection', function connection(ws) {
ws.on('error', console.error);
ws.on('message', function message(data) {
console.log('Received [%s]', data);
ws.send(data.toString());
});
});-
Start the server:
node server.mjsImportant: Save with
.mjsextension.
Step 3: WebSocket Client
Create a test HTML page:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<title>WebSocket test</title>
<script>
"use strict";
function webSocketTest() {
let socket = new WebSocket("wss://example.com/");
socket.onopen = function(event) {
alert("Connection established");
socket.send("Hello from WebSockets");
};
socket.onmessage = function(event) {
alert(`Received data from server: ${event.data}`);
};
socket.onclose = function(event) {
if (event.wasClean) {
alert(`Connection closed cleanly, code=${event.code} reason=${event.reason}`);
} else {
alert('Connection died');
}
};
socket.onerror = function(event) {
alert(`[error]`);
};
}
</script>
</head>
<body onload="webSocketTest()">
<p>WebSocket test</p>
</body>
</html>-
Replace
example.comwith your server’s domain or IP. -
Load this page in a browser to test the WebSocket connection.
Step 4 (Optional): Make the Server Persistent
Create a systemd service to auto-start your WebSocket server.
Python Service Example
/etc/systemd/system/websocket-server.service:
[Unit]
Description=WebSocket Server Daemon
After=network-online.target
[Service]
ExecStart=/home/username/sockenv/bin/python3 /home/username/sockenv/server.py
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
Node.js Service Example
[Unit]
Description=WebSocket Server Daemon
After=network-online.target
[Service]
ExecStart=/home/username/bin/node /home/username/server.mjs
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.targetCommands to Enable the Service
chmod 664 /etc/systemd/system/websocket-server.service
systemctl --system daemon-reload
systemctl start websocket-server.service
systemctl status websocket-server.service
systemctl enable websocket-server.serviceYour WebSocket server will now start automatically on boot and restart if it crashes.
This setup provides a full WebSocket stack: server, client, and persistent system service.
