How does NBIO handle a million WebSocket connections?

NBIO uses an event-driven, non-blocking architecture with optimized memory pools and goroutine pools to minimize resource usage. Benchmarks show it can maintain 1 million WebSocket connections with 1GB memory and 100k TPS, reducing GC pressure compared to standard approaches.

NBIO vs standard Go net/http for high concurrency?

NBIO excels in massive connection scenarios (e.g., over 100k concurrent) with lower memory and GC overhead, but for regular loads, the standard net/http performs better due to simpler goroutine management and higher per-connection efficiency. The README recommends using the standard library for non-massive cases.

How to set up NBIO for an HTTP server with WebSocket?

Use the nbhttp package to create an engine with HTTP and WebSocket handlers, or integrate with std servers via the websocket.Upgrader. Examples in the README show how to configure I/O modes and handle callbacks for OnOpen, OnMessage, and OnClose events.

Is NBIO production-ready on Windows?

No, NBIO's Windows implementation relies on the standard net package only for debugging, not for high-performance production. For scalable non-blocking I/O, it's best used on Linux or BSD/macOS where epoll/kqueue are supported.

What are the memory benchmarks for NBIO with WebSocket?

In tests, NBIO maintains about 1GB of memory for 1 million WebSocket connections with a 1KB payload echo at 100k TPS. This is achieved through memory pooling and reduced goroutine counts, as detailed in the benchmark section of the README.

NBIO or gws for WebSocket servers?

For massive connections (e.g., over 500k), NBIO is better due to its optimized I/O modes and lower memory overhead. For regular WebSocket use, the author recommends gws or quickws, which offer better out-of-the-box performance and simpler design without NBIO's complexity.

nbio — High-Performance Go I/O Framework

What is nbio?

NBIO is a non-blocking I/O framework written in pure Go, designed to handle massive concurrent connections with high performance and low memory overhead. It provides a scalable solution for infrastructure applications such as gateways and proxies, supporting protocols like TLS, HTTP/1.x, and WebSocket while maintaining basic compatibility with the standard net/http package.

Target Audience

Go developers building high-performance infrastructure applications like gateways, proxies, or servers that need to handle over a million concurrent WebSocket or TCP connections efficiently.

Value Proposition

Developers choose NBIO for its optimized event-driven architecture that minimizes goroutine and memory usage under massive connection loads, significantly reducing GC pressure compared to standard blocking I/O. It offers flexible I/O modes (blocking, non-blocking, mixed) to balance performance and resource usage across different connection scales.

Pure Go 1000k+ connections solution, support tls/http1.x/websocket and basically compatible with net/http, with high-performance and low memory cost, non-blocking, event-driven, easy-to-use.

Use Cases

Best For

Building high-performance WebSocket servers that need to support over a million concurrent connections with low memory overhead.
Developing scalable TCP/UDP gateways or proxies where minimizing goroutine count and GC pressure is critical.
Creating infrastructure applications that require efficient handling of massive concurrent connections with protocols like HTTP/1.x and TLS.
Implementing non-blocking I/O servers on Linux (epoll) or BSD/macOS (kqueue) platforms for high-throughput scenarios.
Scaling WebSocket services where maintaining memory under 1GB for a million connections with 100k TPS is a requirement.
Building servers that need flexible I/O modes to adapt performance characteristics based on connection load (e.g., using IOModMixed for balanced resource usage).

Not Ideal For

Production deployments on Windows servers, as NBIO only uses the standard net package on Windows for debugging purposes.
Applications with typical connection loads (e.g., under 50k concurrent connections) where the Go standard library's net/http performs better out-of-the-box.
Projects requiring modern HTTP protocols like HTTP/2 or HTTP/3, since NBIO is limited to HTTP/1.x support.
Teams looking for a simple, focused WebSocket library for regular use cases, as the author recommends alternatives like gws or quickws for better performance in non-massive scenarios.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Massive Connection Efficiency

Handles over 1 million WebSocket connections with low memory overhead—benchmarks show ~1GB memory usage for 1M connections with 100k TPS, reducing GC pressure significantly.

Flexible I/O Modes

Offers blocking, non-blocking, and mixed I/O modes (IOMod) to optimize performance and resource usage based on connection load, balancing goroutine counts and CPU/memory costs.

Cross-Platform Event Loop

Uses epoll on Linux, kqueue on BSD/macOS for high-performance non-blocking I/O, ensuring scalable event-driven architecture on supported systems.

Protocol Support with Compliance

Supports TCP, UDP, TLS, HTTP/HTTPS 1.x, and WebSocket with Autobahn Test Suite compliance, providing robust protocol handling for infrastructure apps.

Cons

Poor Standard Load Performance

The author explicitly states NBIO performs worse than the Go standard library in regular connection scenarios due to goroutine affinity and buffer reuse issues, making it suboptimal for typical use.

Limited Windows Viability

Windows support is implemented via the standard net package only for debugging, not production, restricting cross-platform deployments for high-performance needs.

Niche and Complex Use Case

NBIO's advantages are limited to massive connection scenarios like gateways/proxies, and its architecture is complex compared to simpler epoll wrappers or standard I/O, increasing learning curve.

What is nbio?

Target Audience

Go developers building high-performance infrastructure applications like gateways, proxies, or servers that need to handle over a million concurrent WebSocket or TCP connections efficiently.

Value Proposition

Use Cases

Best For

Building high-performance WebSocket servers that need to support over a million concurrent connections with low memory overhead.
Developing scalable TCP/UDP gateways or proxies where minimizing goroutine count and GC pressure is critical.
Creating infrastructure applications that require efficient handling of massive concurrent connections with protocols like HTTP/1.x and TLS.
Implementing non-blocking I/O servers on Linux (epoll) or BSD/macOS (kqueue) platforms for high-throughput scenarios.
Scaling WebSocket services where maintaining memory under 1GB for a million connections with 100k TPS is a requirement.
Building servers that need flexible I/O modes to adapt performance characteristics based on connection load (e.g., using IOModMixed for balanced resource usage).

Not Ideal For

Production deployments on Windows servers, as NBIO only uses the standard net package on Windows for debugging purposes.
Applications with typical connection loads (e.g., under 50k concurrent connections) where the Go standard library's net/http performs better out-of-the-box.
Projects requiring modern HTTP protocols like HTTP/2 or HTTP/3, since NBIO is limited to HTTP/1.x support.
Teams looking for a simple, focused WebSocket library for regular use cases, as the author recommends alternatives like gws or quickws for better performance in non-massive scenarios.

Pros & Cons

Pros

Massive Connection Efficiency

Handles over 1 million WebSocket connections with low memory overhead—benchmarks show ~1GB memory usage for 1M connections with 100k TPS, reducing GC pressure significantly.

Flexible I/O Modes

Offers blocking, non-blocking, and mixed I/O modes (IOMod) to optimize performance and resource usage based on connection load, balancing goroutine counts and CPU/memory costs.

Cross-Platform Event Loop

Uses epoll on Linux, kqueue on BSD/macOS for high-performance non-blocking I/O, ensuring scalable event-driven architecture on supported systems.

Protocol Support with Compliance

Supports TCP, UDP, TLS, HTTP/HTTPS 1.x, and WebSocket with Autobahn Test Suite compliance, providing robust protocol handling for infrastructure apps.

Cons

Poor Standard Load Performance

The author explicitly states NBIO performs worse than the Go standard library in regular connection scenarios due to goroutine affinity and buffer reuse issues, making it suboptimal for typical use.

Limited Windows Viability

Windows support is implemented via the standard net package only for debugging, not production, restricting cross-platform deployments for high-performance needs.

Niche and Complex Use Case

NBIO's advantages are limited to massive connection scenarios like gateways/proxies, and its architecture is complex compared to simpler epoll wrappers or standard I/O, increasing learning curve.

nbio

What is nbio?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?

nbio

What is nbio?

Overview

Use Cases

Best For

Not Ideal For

Pros & Cons

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Related Projects

Found a gem we're missing?